His Marriage Trap (8 page)

There was then the woman who had lost everything. She had once been wealthy but had lost her money, her house and her family. She felt like she had nobody and needed support to get back on her feet.

Gabby loved her profession and she loved working at Ramona Grove but it took a lot out of her. She hoped that she was helping to change people’s lives and save them from the downward spiral that never ended well. Their problems made her own pale in comparison which then made her feel selfish for dwelling on them. She was certain that any one of her clients would trade their life for hers in a heartbeat yet her petty problems still remained on her mind.

By the time she arrived home it was almost six and she knew that Nik wouldn’t be impressed. It would only take her ten minutes to change though. Or it would have if her clothes weren’t still in Nik’s room, she realised as she stood in her room staring at an empty wardrobe. Cursing under her breath she stormed up to Nik’s room with the intention of ignoring him and simply collecting her clothes.

“You’re late,” Nik informed her the second she entered the room and Gabby sent him a frown as she watched him button up his shirt.

“It’s not six,” she pointed out and it was Nik’s turn to frown.

“You have ten minutes before my father arrives so I suggest you hurry,” he said and Gabby sent him one of her now regular glares before she collected her clothes and fled his room. Showering quickly she just had time to apply minimum makeup and slip in to her gold beaded dress before the doorbell rang. With a sigh she twisted her hair up in to a bun and slid her feet in to matching gold heels before finally leaving the room and descending the staircase.

“Ah, there she is. My beautiful daughter-in-law,” Pablo declared at the sight of her and she couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. The Kostos men could be extremely charming when they put their minds to it. Not that Nik ever seemed to put his mind towards that where she was concerned. She’d seen him in action though and she knew that his charm could be lethal to women.

“Pablo, it’s been too long,” she declared as she stepped forward to accept his hug and kisses to her cheeks.

“You get more beautiful each time I see you,” he informed her and Gabby rolled her eyes.

“And you get more charming,” she said making him chuckle.

“My son is treating you well?” he asked and Gabby risked a glance at Nik from beneath her lashes before she answered.

“Naturally,” she answered not wanting to reveal their private life even if it was to his father. Even if she did she had no doubt that Pablo would side with Nik and she couldn’t take them both ganging up on her.

“Is there the sound of little feet on the horizon?” he asked making Gabby blush beneath his searching look.

“Papa, we told you that we’re not rushing in to this,” Nik said which did save her from answering for a change but also annoyed her. How dared he insinuate that they were even thinking of having children when the thought couldn’t be further from her mind? He was giving his father false hope and letting him think that their marriage was in a secure place rather than heading for the divorce courts.

“Ah, but I am an old man and I want to see my grandchildren before I die,” he said softly holding a hand to his heart and Gabby rolled her eyes again at his dramatics.

“You will outlive us all,” Nik said drily and his father chuckled.

“Possibly. But I still think grandchildren would make me feel young again,” Pablo said on a sigh and Gabby was thankful when the conversation turned to more mundane things. Or she was until she became the sole focus.

“How was your day son?” Paolo asked.

“A few meetings, a business lunch with Callie and several important calls,” Nik relayed and Gabby froze at the mention of his glamorous assistant. She could just guess what their business lunch had entailed and it didn’t include food or work.

“And you my dear?”

Gabby was so caught up with images of Nik and Callie together that took a few moments for her to realise that Pablo was talking to her.

“Hm?” she asked uncertainly and he gave her that charming grin that had turned many a woman’s head.

“I asked about your day,” he said and she offered a hesitant smile.

“You know same old,” she said and Nik frowned at her vague response.

“What exactly does same old include?” he asked suspiciously.

“You know the usual. A couple of clients and a long lunch,” Gabby said but Nik didn’t appear convinced.

“What did you do on your long lunch, anything good?” he asked and she narrowed her gaze at him.

“I went shopping. What did you do on your lunch with Callie?” she countered and Nik looked surprised by that.

“I didn’t see you bring any bags in,” he said as he chose to completely ignore the comment about Callie. Gabby cursed at his innate ability to catch her out in a lie.

“That’s because I got a specially fitted gown that won’t be ready until tomorrow,” she offered wincing at the extra lie.

“You didn’t buy anything to go with this dress?” he asked and Gabby bit her lip nervously.

“I ordered a bag and shoes but I have to wait for them to be ordered in,” she said brightly hoping that she didn’t sound as guilty as she felt though she suspected Nik didn’t entirely buy her story.

“I’m sure the wait will be worth it,” Pablo laughed and the mood relaxed though Gabby was still aware of Nik’s gaze staying on her.

It was generally an enjoyable meal aside from Pablo’s persistent questions regarding the state of their marriage but he gave up discussing the future when he only got vague answers to his questions. Instead he put his efforts towards entertaining them and Gabby found herself laughing more than she had in a long time especially at the stories he told of the women who practically threw themselves at him. Pablo was considered quite the catch and many women used ploys to get his attention. None of them seemed to realise that Pablo didn’t want another wife and likely wouldn’t look at them twice. Compared to most of the men available Pablo was these women’s ultimate fantasy. It led to some funny stories that had Gabby in stitches and barely able to eat the coq au vin that Louisa had prepared as she was too busy laughing. Finally Pablo announced that it was time for him to retire to his home in the city and Gabby found herself both relieved and disappointed. He may ask questions that made her uncomfortable but he was always a charming and funny guest in their home.

“That went well,” Gabby offered once Pablo had left and Nik turned to give her an unreadable look that made her shiver with its intensity.

“Care to tell me what you were really doing today?” he asked and Gabby’s heart began pounding against her chest.

“I told you,” she said lightly hoping he would take the hint and drop the subject but Nik was not known for his ability to do what she wanted.

“Shopping,” he recalled and his eyes didn’t waver from her.

“Right. Now if you don’t mind I’m tired so I’m going to go to bed,” Gabby informed him with a light smile as she turned and ascended the stairs expecting him to stop her at any moment. She made it to her room without incident and breathed a sigh of relief as she changed in to the nightgown she had bought back earlier and let loose her hair. With one last glance at the bedroom door she slid beneath her silk sheets and extinguished the lamp before closing her eyes and letting out a relaxed sigh.

She was on the verge of sleep when something alerted her and she opened her eyes to find Nik standing beside her bed. She saw the intent in his eyes but was helpless to prevent him from scooping her in to arms.

“Put me down dammit,” Gabby ordered as he strode from her room and he didn’t so much as break stride.

“We’ve been through this,” he reminded her and Gabby settled for glaring at him.

“I won’t sleep with you,” she told him furiously and he rolled his eyes heavenward as though asking god why he had been cursed with her for a wife.

“It is your right to refuse sex but we sleep in the same bed,” he informed her and Gabby glared at him as he placed her down on his bed.

“I have no intention of sharing anything with you,” she shouted uncaring of how childish she sounded and Nik arched one brow.

“You have two choices, Gabriella. Either you get in that bed right now and go to sleep or I put you there and believe me if I do that I may rethink my decision to let you sleep,” he warned and Gabby glared at him but sensed that he wasn’t joking. She hesitated for a second before settling herself beneath the covers and sending him a look of deep hatred that seemingly had no effect whatsoever.

“I hate you,” she hissed as he pulled back the covers and settled beside her and he gave her an amused look as he extinguished the light.

“Go to sleep,” he said in answer and Gabby silently fumed as she turned her back on him. Only to give a squeak of surprise when he reached over and drew her close in to the circle of his arms.

Sleep came surprisingly easy to Gabby and her last thought before she succumbed was that she would make sure she made Nik’s life so miserable that he would jump at the chance of divorcing her.

Nik stayed awake for a while just watching his wife sleep in his arms. She looked so vulnerable and alone in sleep that it tore at his heart. Placing a gentle kiss against her hair he smiled at the faint sigh she gave which transformed in to a frown as he recalled her guilty expression during dinner. He knew when his wife was hiding something and she had definitely been lying about her day. It made no sense. Until he realised that he had never taken much interest in his wife’s daily activities. He’d hired someone to protect her but hadn’t checked any of the monthly reports as he hadn’t wanted to intrude on her privacy. The only time he’d been informed of her actions was when she had gone to enquire about a divorce. Clearly his wife wanted to keep her actions a secret which could only mean that whatever she was doing was something she shouldn’t be.

On the edge of sleep he made the decision that first thing in the morning he would be checking up on his wife’s routines and finding out just what it was that Gabriella was trying to hide from him.

When Gabby awoke she was pleased to realise that the bed was empty with only the slight indentation of the pillow and a faint scent to indicate that Nik had ever been there at all. With a blissful sigh of pure contentment she stretched and then froze as she caught sight of the time on the clock.

Cursing under her breath she sprang from the bed and grabbed her black trousers and top and some underwear before racing to her room and having the quickest shower possible.

When she was all dressed and ready she grabbed her bag and raced for the door. Taking the stairs at a run she approached the front door and was almost free and clear when the sound of a throat being cleared stopped her in her tracks. Slowly she turned and winced at the sight of Nik leaning against his office door watching her, like a lion stalking its prey.

“Morning,” he said and she frowned at him wondering just what the hell he wanted.

“Sorry but I really have to go,” Gabby told him firmly as she took another step towards the door expecting him to stop her but he merely stood there watching her.

“We’ll talk tonight,” he told her and it could have just been her imagination but it sounded like a threat and sent a shiver down Gabby’s spine. She didn’t know what exactly he wanted but she knew that it couldn’t be good. It also meant that her whole day was overshadowed by the thought of what he could possibly want to talk to her about.

The day was a breeze compared to the one before. Unlike the residents of Ramona Grove whose problems were severe and required all her attention if she was to help them her regular clients usually came to see her with problems that only existed in their minds. Not all of them, of course as some were genuinely hurting and needed someone to help them heal but enough of them that Gabby often contemplated spending more time at Ramona Grove than in her actual offices.

One of her first clients was one of her wealthier clients who had been married for forty years and now that her children had moved out she found herself being irritated by everything her husband did. She had originally booked the sessions as a way to complain about her husband but Gabby had thought they might have more progress if the woman’s husband joined them for a session. She had thought that by getting them to talk and discuss their problems and issues they might work something out. Instead they had found that their issues outnumbered the amount of things they actually liked about each other and instead of sorting something out they had both booked separate sessions as a way to complain about each other. They assured Gabby that this was the best thing to happen to their marriage and that they were happier than they’d been in years but it was hardly the sort of work that Gabby had hoped to be doing. She had wanted to change people’s lives and help them to resolve their issues not simply being someone that they could complain to. Sometimes the sessions drove her insane. Listening to someone complain that their partner snored too loudly or that the sound of their breathing was annoying didn’t compare to someone telling of a tortured past. It was unlikely that after forty years of marriage you would suddenly realise that the other person’s snoring wasn’t annoying. Gabby always hated these sessions as she thought that she could be doing more good by using this time for those that really needed it. The woman’s husband assured her that she was doing good though. He claimed that if it wasn’t for her sessions then his wife would have murdered him years ago but these sessions still felt like a waste of time to Gabby. Still she pinned her smile in place and let the woman talk herself out before letting her husband in and going through exactly the same thing again.

The whole morning was pretty much a waste of time when compared to the work that she did at Ramona Grove. Gabby sometimes wondered why she didn’t just drop all her office hours and work there full time. It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it. But she knew in her heart that she didn’t want to use all the money her parents had left her when she could provide for herself. Maybe one day she would donate all of her time but for now she liked being self-sufficient.

Lunch consisted of a quick sandwich from the deli next door before her afternoon clients walked in. These clients were more the type she liked. Their issues weren’t as serious as some of those at Ramona Grove but were serious enough to affect their lives and therapy was helping them to resolve their issues.

First up was a sixteen year old girl and unlike Fiona she hadn’t gone off the rails or had any abuse happen to her. This sixteen year old girl was quite a smart girl and had spent her time mostly studying instead of partying. The problem was that stress and depression wasn’t just for the teenagers who had serious issues with drink, drugs and boys. This sixteen year old had big plans for her future but worried constantly that she wasn’t good enough. She studied all the time but still felt like she wasn’t doing enough. She panicked that all of the hard work she had put in to her education would be ruined if she didn’t get in to the college she wanted and she worried that her grades simply wouldn’t be good enough. Then there were the sessions when she confessed that she felt like she was weird. The girl didn’t think that she fit in with anyone at her school because she hadn’t had a boyfriend and had no interest in boys until she had achieved her dreams. She didn’t even have any really close friends and it was hard for her growing up thinking she was different to everyone else. With Gabby’s help this girl had been less stressed and had just found out that she had gotten in to the college she had applied for. It was a big break for the girl who had been on the edge of a meltdown when she had first met Gabby.

Her next client was a woman whose husband beat her. Her husband was a wealthy man who had everyone convinced that he was a nice guy. He had no idea that his wife came to see her each week. She would come in sit down and then tell Gabby everything that he had done to her during the week and would then try and convince Gabby that it wasn’t his fault and that she had driven him to it. Gabby knew that deep down the woman didn’t believe that and that she knew he was no good but it didn’t matter because she was convinced that she couldn’t live without him. Her session each week depressed Gabby because they would make progress and then she would go home and let him hit her all over again. All Gabby could do was hope that one day all of her advice would sink in and the woman would find the courage to leave him.

When she left the offices Gabby decided to delay the inevitable conversation that Nik wanted and went for a drive instead. She had already informed Louisa that she wouldn’t be home for tea. She drove around for a while before deciding to go to the beach. A long walk along the beach helped to clear her head and she felt much calmer after. She stopped to have fish and chips while watching the sun set and finally decided that she couldn’t put Nik off any longer. She had already had several missed phone calls from him.

When she arrived home the house was quiet and she thought that she might have gotten lucky and missed Nik altogether but before she could escape up the stairs he appeared in his office door with his mouth compressed in to a thin line.

“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded in a deceptively quiet tone.

“Just went for a walk,” she told him and his mouth tightened further.

“Are you determined to put yourself in harm’s way?” he demanded and she rolled her eyes. He acted as though she couldn’t be trusted to take care of herself for five minutes but she had lived alone for years and nothing had happened to her.

“You’re being ridiculous. It was just a walk along the beach,” she told him.

“And you are a very rich woman. What if someone unsavoury had recognised you? You could have been kidnapped,” he snapped and she sighed loudly.

“If that ever happens then by all means you can say that you told me so,” she allowed but before she could carry on her way he stepped forward to catch her by the elbow.

“I need to discuss something with you,” he said firmly and she released another heavy sigh before following him in to his office. Honestly, she felt like a misbehaving child the amount of times she had been dragged in here the past few days.

“What exactly was so important to discuss that it couldn’t wait?” she asked once he had released her.

“I couldn’t simply want to find out how your day was?” he asked and she gave a sigh even as he moved closer to her and caught her around the waist to pull her against him.

“Since you said you needed to talk to me this morning I doubt it,” she said and he smiled.

“I just thought that you might like a trip away over the weekend. We could leave Thursday night,” he suggested and Gabby’s heart sped up.

“I can’t just leave Thursday. I have clients to see on Friday,” she said convincing herself that she wasn’t technically lying.

“I’m sure you could cancel them for the one day,” he suggested and she cursed inwardly. If this were any other time she wouldn’t have hesitated to change her date for Ramona Grove but she had convinced Fiona to see her again Friday and she didn’t know what the girl would do if she cancelled without seeing her. She didn’t want to run the risk of something bad happening because she couldn’t put her husband off for one day.

“I really can’t this week,” she denied and he frowned at that.

“Is that because you’re not actually going to your office to see clients?” he questioned and she froze in the circle of his arms.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she denied fiercely and he merely raised one brow at that.

“So Ramona Grove means nothing to you?” he questioned and she fought not to show her surprise. How the hell did he know about that? Panic was rising within her and she fought to try and hide it.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she squeezed past her suddenly tight throat.

“I doubt that. I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m sure you also know a lot about several dangerous characters,” he said firmly and Gabby struggled to get free of his grip but to no avail as he simply pulled her even closer.

“Let me go,” she instructed and he gave a harsh laugh as he stared down at her.

“Let you go? So you can what? Go run around dangerous areas with drug dealers, murderers and rapists?” he demanded fury lining his tone and she shivered under the heated fury he sent her way.

            “You’re over exaggerating,” she insisted and his face darkened as he finally released her. But only so he could take hold of her wrist and drag her reluctant frame over to his desk.

“Is this over exaggerating?” he asked furiously and she swallowed nervously as she looked at his desk where several pictures of herself talking to several criminals stared up at her.

“It’s not what it looks like,” she tried but she could see that he wasn’t going to believe a word she said on the subject.

“Really? So those aren’t pictures of you putting yourself in harm’s way. That isn’t you talking to a man who was convicted of murdering a young teenager?” he demanded making Gabby pale. She knew that the organisation dealt with people who had done serious crimes but they were never sent her way. All the people who had done more dangerous things were sent to the other psychologists on staff who were used to those types.

“I was just giving him directions to the reception,” she insisted but Nik’s gaze darkened as red hot anger took hold.

“You were being irresponsible and foolish. You are the wife of a very rich man and an heiress in your own right. What if one of these men had decided to use you as their meal ticket?” he asked and Gabby rolled her eyes.

“You’re being overly dramatic. I don’t even see most of the worse criminals,” she said and Nik shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m being overly dramatic? It doesn’t matter what you were doing there. The point is that you were in a dangerous area where violent men live. You think that you’re safe? That one of them wouldn’t one day decide that maybe they wanted to have some fun with you? Do you really think they would listen when you said no?” he demanded and Gabby paled at the picture he was painting. Logically she knew he was right but pride insisted that she not let him realise that she hadn’t thought of that until right now. Ramona Grove had security and she had always felt safe enough there but she supposed he was right that if one of them had decided that she was their meal ticket then she would probably have had no defence against them. But she didn’t want to admit that he was right. Ramona Grove was about the only thing that she really enjoyed right now and she didn’t want to give it up.

“You’re being ridiculous. And if you’ll excuse me I’m tired,” she informed him as she tried to pull away.

“You are not going anywhere until you agree to stay away from Ramona Grove,” he told her without loosening his grip and Gabby glared at him.

“I won’t agree to anything because you’re not the boss of me and I will go wherever the hell I want,” she informed him furiously.

“No!” he told her and Gabby froze as she slowly turned back to him in disbelief.

“No?” she repeated furiously. Who the hell did he think he was?

“You heard me Gabriella. You will not be going to Ramona Grove anymore. You will not go anywhere near that side of town,” he informed her harshly and Gabby glared at him. How dare he tell her what she could and couldn’t do? Even her own father had let her have her freedom.

“I will do whatever I please,” she informed him and turned to storm away once again only to find herself spun round by a pair of steel arms.