by Mary Peart
They went inside only when they felt the pangs of hunger and went into the kitchen to forage for grapes and cheese and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, where they drank most of the bottle that had been chilled for them. They were still naked and he made her lie down on the bed and dribbled drops of the liquid all over her body, where he proceeded to lick off every drop, causing the fire to start all over again! She was a trembling mess by the time he came over her and entered her slowly, stroking inside her, teasing her by pulling out and rubbing the tip of his penis against her mound. They spent the night making love until they fell into an exhausted sleep in the wee hours of the morning!
*****
They explored the countryside going into the town of Orange where they explored the ruins of an ancient Roman theater built in the first century. They made love under the sunlight after they had packed a picnic lunch where they drank wine and ate different types of cheese.
He took her to the enchanting bookstore: ‘Shakespeare and Company’ which was a book lovers’ delight, where they listened to different poets recite what they had written.
They also went to La Cabanette where they munched on pizza with crusts so thin you could see through it and which had lots of toppings. He bought her Hermes and expensive chocolates and even though she protested at the cost, he reminded her that he had money and he wanted to spend it on her. She picked up Pralines, ganaches and fruit chocolates and a bag of coffee beans for her mother.
Their last night at the villa they spent in their bedroom, not bothering to put clothes on but after eating feather light croissants spread with Nutella and strong black coffee with orange juice.
“I promise we will come back very soon,” he told her as they spread out on the bed after a dip in the pool. He had dried her hair and wrapped her in a thick white robe where they had eaten strawberries with whipped cream. “With Daniel of course.” He added with a smile.
“He would love that,” she said leaning back against him. “Tell me about your company.” She said realizing that apart from what she had glimpsed in the paper about Hamasaki’s Import and Export, she really did not know much about what her husband did.
“Our main focus is on high end vehicles but we mostly do business in Japan because that’s where my dad started.” He told her, his hand making circular movements on her back. “We started branching out in other things when I took over, like computers and anything to do with technology. My dad wanted to stick to one thing but I realized where the market was and decided to expand. At first the company was my ‘baby.’ I used to spend every waking moment trying to come up with new and innovative ideas to take us on into the future and I based my success on the amount of money I had in the bank, in stocks and bonds. I enjoyed it as well with expensive clothes, wines, going to the best restaurants, but I always knew that something was missing. I never knew what it was until I met you and then Daniel. You changed my way of thinking and my focus and I was no longer interested in making the next buck or trying to be one of the richest men in the country; You changed that and I can’t tell you how much that means to me.” She had lifted her head to look at him and his piercing dark eyes met hers. “You changed my life Elise and for that I would do anything for you, including giving up my life because my life means nothing without you in it.”
Elise stared at him, her heart hammering inside her breast. She never thought it possible to experience something like this, something so rare and so special that she found herself wondering every time if it was real. “You changed mine too,” she said huskily clearing her throat. “I was contented with normal and ordinary before I met you and my expectations were low. You showed me that I can dream beyond anything I could possibly imagine and that I deserve this type of love, the love you showed me that I never expected. You showed me extraordinary and special and for that I will always be grateful to you. I love you so much Peter that I don’t know where you end and I begin.”
“Then we are even,” he told her hoarsely, reaching up to claim her lips with his in a kiss that left no doubt as to where he stood!
Chapter 11
“You commissioned Michael and Jack to build a tree house and a swing for Daniel?” Elise asked her husband in amusement. It had been two weeks since their trip to Paris and he had gone back to the office and she had gone back to work, scaling down a little bit on the manual labor. They had been getting an influx of jobs and she guessed with her name now being Hamasaki. She had had to hire two other persons and now operated from an office she had refurbished at the large estate she now called home.
“You do realize that I could very well do it without you having to pay them far more than the job is worth, don’t you?” he was getting dressed for work and she had just came from Daniel’s room where she saw to it that he was getting ready for school. The two girls there helped but Elise had become accustomed to taking care of her son that she still wanted to do it. Peter had also assigned a driver to take him to and from school.
“I thought you didn’t do that sort of thing anymore?” he asked her his eyebrows raised. She came around to help him adjust his tie.
“I don’t, well not really, but I would have done it for our son.” She said it naturally these days and was aware that it pleased him immensely.
“And I know how busy you have been since we got back and Daniel has been asking for a tree house since the weather is so nice.” He tilted her chin to look at her. He had noticed that she looked tired and a little droopy and he was concerned. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Why do you ask?” she held his hand and tried to sound casual. The fact is, she was not feeling too hot and even though she no longer did the rough work, the jobs had been coming in fast and furious and she was having a hard time keeping up.
“Because ever since we got back you have not been yourself,” he told her bluntly. “I think we should call Dr. Carmichael.” He suggested.
She pulled out of his arms and went inside the bathroom. “I am fine Peter, stop fussing.” She said a little irritably.
“It’s my job, I am your husband and you are the love of my life. I am entitled to fuss,” he had followed her inside the bathroom. She had some designs to do and two jobs to look at but it was a little after eight and she felt as if she just wanted to go back to bed.
“I know honey, I am sorry,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just that I have been trying to catch up with the jobs we have been doing and I guess I have overextended myself.”
“Give it up or cut back drastically, I don’t care which, but you do not have to be doing all of this Elise,” he told her tightly, his brow furrowed.
“You want me to quit and stay home? Doing what exactly?” she rounded on him furiously, feeling lightheaded and dizzy.
He saw her swayed and rushed over to grab hold of her. “I am calling the doctor,” he told her grimly, feeling a little fearful.
“Will you stop trying to control my life?” she beat at his chest ineffectively but the effort was too much for her and she sagged into his arms.
“It’s my job,” he led her back to the bedroom feeling alarmed at how weak she was. “Are you pregnant?” he asked her, not daring to believe that she might be carrying his child.
“What?” she stared at him startled for a moment. They had discussed starting a family together but had said they would wait and give Daniel a chance to be with both of them before doing that. “No!” she said shaking her head. “I guess I am just tired that’s all.”
“You said it like it is not something you are hoping to happen.” He said coolly. He had been trying to get her to stop working so hard, but she was not listening to him.
“Peter, can you not start with that?” she asked him wearily. “You know how I feel about you, about us, and I don’t think I have to keep proving myself over and over again.”
He sat beside her on the bed. She was an independent woman, that much he respected, but she was also his wife and he thought she would have given up the job entirely and g
one into doing charity work but that was not her style and he had to respect her for that.
She came up on the bed and went behind him to wrap her arms around him, resting her head against his. “I will slow down.” She told him. “I am going to take the day today and rest and I will start delegating from now on. How does that sound?”
He spun her around and put her on his lap. “That sounds better.” He told her seriously. “I don’t want to curtail your activities baby but I don’t see the need of both of us working so hard, and besides, we have Daniel to think about.”
“You are right,” she rested her head on his shoulder. “I will stay home today and rest.”
“Want me to stay with you?” he asked her, calculating in his mind what he had to do today. It was Monday and he usually met with the board and the sales team first thing in the morning.
She shook her head. “You can check up on me throughout the day. I promise I will stay home and won’t even lift a straw.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He told her softly, bracing her back against the bed. Her curls had escaped the usual ponytail and was all around her beautiful face. He brushed them back tenderly. “I can’t afford to lose you, I would rather lose anything else.” He told her seriously.
“You won’t lose me,” she told him wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing his face down to hers. “I promise.” She whispered as she took his lips with hers.
*****
“I come bearing lunch,” Mitsui came inside the room with a tray laden with all sorts of delicacies. She had drifted off to sleep as soon as Peter had left but not before calling her crew to let them know that she was not available today. He had told his mother when he went downstairs that she was not to be disturbed and that something filling was to be brought up to her as soon as she was rested.
“Oh Mitsui you did not have to bring lunch up,” she protested getting ready to swing her legs off the bed to take the tray from her mother in law.
“Oh no, please stay right where you are,” the woman instructed firmly. “Your husband left specific instructions that you are not to lift a finger and I am following his orders.”
“He’s being melodramatic,” Elise said with a sigh as she placed the table tray across her. There was a chicken sandwich, tuna casserole, slices of cakes, and lemonade.
“I think he is just concerned about his wife, darling.” She sat on the bed and looked at her daughter in law. She looked much better now that she had gotten some rest and she no longer had the bags underneath her eyes. “You are married to a very powerful and wealthy man my dear, and as much as you want to pretend that your life is still the same, it is not.” She paused as the girl ate and looked at her. “I was born in a middle income family and I had to readjust my way of thinking when I married Peter’s father. He did a lot of entertaining of clients and I had to play hostess, but the difference with me was that I thrived on playing hostess. I have a feeling you are different. Peter loves you and he probably won’t tell you that you have to play hostess to his entertaining, but as his wife, I am sure you want to be supportive of him, am I right?”
Elise nodded. She realized that her mother in law was right and her mother had said the same thing to her just over the weekend. Her lifestyle will have to change because she was running in a different league now. He had told her that he had given her an expense account and her name was on all his accounts as well. He had also said that if she wanted anything all she had to do was to charge it to the account and she could buy anything she wanted for her and Daniel. She still had not done so and her side of the massive walk-in closet was still pathetically bare. Mitsui was right: He loved her too much to tell her what to do but it was her responsibility to start being his wife outside of the bedroom.
“I am going to find out when his next function will be,” Elise said decisively.
“You don’t have to darling,” Mitsui told her. “Copies of his activities are sent to his home computer in his study so all you have to do is log on and find out.”
“Then I need to do something else.” Mitsui looked at her enquiringly. “I need to shop for an entire new wardrobe and do something with my hair.”
“That’s my department,” her mother in law said with a wide smile. “I already know your measurements so leave it entirely up to me. You won’t even have to leave the house.”
*****
Elise watched in amazement as racks after racks of designer outfits were shown to her. She allowed her mother in law to choose and even tried on one or two of the numerous gowns. She did not look at the price tags and to her surprise she realized that there were none. They had thought of everything: including shoes and underwear and even coats for the various seasons. Mitsui had even ordered tons of clothes and shoes for Daniel. “So that he will not feel left out,” she had said with a smile.
Next was her hair. The hairdresser who had done her hair for the wedding came by with his assistant, a thin anemic looking girl with purple hair. When they were finished and she looked in the mirror she was amazed at the transformation. She looked like a fashion model and not someone who should be remodeling someone’s kitchen or bathroom.
By the time they had all finished; Daniel had arrived home.
He bounded inside; his eyes lighting up in excitement as he saw his mother in her bedroom. “Mommy you are home!” he said racing into her arms. “Hi Grandma Mitsui.” He went over and hopped into her arms. The girls had finished packing the clothes in the closet and had gone to put away Daniel’s clothes in his room.
“So how was school honey?” she asked him as he jumped from one place to another.
“It was okay,” he said with a little shrug. “Gabriella had an accident and threw up all over herself,” he said with a grimace of distaste.
“Oh the poor thing,” Mitsui said in concern. “What happened to her?”
“She ate something bad, I heard the teacher said.” He reported.
“Speaking of eating,” Mitsui said standing up and holding out her hand. “How about we get you something to eat?”
“I am starving!” he admitted taking her hand. “Oh mommy, you look very pretty,” he said as an afterthought before leaving the room. Mitsui flashed her a smile before letting him drag her away.
*****
Peter looked at the figures in approval and nodded to Michael Brady who was the CFO for the company. “We have made quite a bit of profit for the first quarter,” he said looking at the sharply dressed thirty-three year old man seated in front of him. “You are very good at what you do and that’s why I hired you. Now, I want you to tell me why is it your wife is calling my personal number and crying to me to ask you to leave the ‘floozy’ inside the office because she is seven months pregnant and cannot manage the stress.”
Michael sat there staring at him dumbfounded. Marion had threatened to call his boss if he did not stop seeing her but he had not paid her hysterical threats any mind and he had still continued seeing Paula. The girl worked in the accounts department and had set her caps on him since the first time she had started working here six months ago, and as much as he had tried to end it, he could not resist her and now he had discovered he did not want to. His wife had found out about them because she had called the house asking for him. It had been a deliberate act on her part and he had spoken to her about it, but he had seen the smile on her face.
“She had no right,” he muttered, staring down at his well manicured hands.
“She had every right.” Peter leaned forward on his desk. “She is your wife man and furthermore she is carrying your child. Do you know what you are doing?”
“I can’t resist her,” he said plaintively, his dark blue eyes pleading with Peter to understand. “She came on to me and I could not resist, and now I am in so deep that I don’t know what to do.”
“If you do not deal with it I am going to have to let one of you go and I really do not want to lose you.” Peter paused. “I am married as you know, and I cannot l
ook at another woman. I don’t see anyone else and I am positive it’s going to be that way for as long as we live. You have to decide if this girl is more to you than your family, and you have to decide that pretty fast because I need it cleared up by now, and the end of the week. End it Michael.” He said briefly.
“Yes Peter,” he said humbly, getting to his feet. “What did you tell her?” he asked as he reached the door.
“I told her that she was not to worry, she was your wife and you were not foolish enough to throw away what you two have for a roll in the hay.” Peter looked at him coolly. “I hope I am right.”
He leaned back against the soft leather of his high back chair and looked at the closed door. He felt sorry for Michael, but he felt even sorrier for the woman at home, miserable because she has discovered that her husband had rejected her for another woman in her state of pregnancy. What would cause a man to cheat on his wife? He wondered. He knew that Maureen was an attractive woman but maybe pregnancy had changed her appearance somewhat. Elise would be the most cherished and loved woman in the world if he ever found out she was pregnant!
He reached for the phone and dialed her number, longing to hear her voice. “I am surprised you took so long to call back,” her amused voice sounded in his ear. Even her voice turned him on, he thought closing his eyes.
“I was giving you half an hour space,” he teased her “How are you?”
“I am fine Peter, stop fussing.” She told him mildly.
“That’s like telling me not to breathe.” He told her lightly. “Still trying on clothes?” she had told him what she had done with his mother’s help.