Sugah & Spice (48 page)

             
Corrin laughed despite her depressive state. She removed dishes from the sink, and took old food from the refrigerator. That day her father confessed Charlie’s secret to her making her promise never to tell anyone that he was the one who told her. After hearing that Charlie was building their dream home, wanting to surprise her by Christmas, Corrin felt like an idiot.  She thanked her father and apologized to him. She also promised never
to say a word about knowing an
ything regarding the house.

             
The day Charlie came to pick her up from her office, she knew that that was the day he would finally reveal his secret. When they pulled up to the gated entry-way that closed their world off from unwanted visitors, Corrin couldn’t stop squirming in her seat. The half mile drive to the residence was lovely landscaped with trees lining the driveway on both sides.

             
When they pulled up in front of the three-story house on the outskirts of the city, Corrin couldn’t contain her excitement. She took a deep breath, and put on the best performance of her life. Having a
background in theater had its
advantages;
she thought waiting for Charlie to open her door. “Who lives here
,
Charlie? We are going to get into trouble for showing up unannounced,” Corrin said. Charlie tried to keep his laughter at bay. Corrin’s father had filled him in on everything, and he knew that she was messing with him about knowing anything. He loved his wife even more that day. It also helped when he carried her across the threshold. That way she couldn’t start asking a million questions as she always had
,
whenever he tried to surprise her with something special.

             
Corrin was speechless, an emotional wreck. The house was breathtakingly beautiful. The circular driveway and seven-car garage was just a small indication of what lay ahead, Corrin thought trying to compose herself without letting Charlie
know
she knew who the owners of the gorgeous estate were. He grabbed her hand as he helped her from the car. The look on his face that day helped Corrin
cope with so many lonely times.
S
he smiled just reliving the moment. “Wait here,” Charlie demanded in a gentle tone while he disappeared toward the back of the residence. Corrin looked around surveying the beautiful landscaping and hidden lake to the side of the estate, just beyond the wooden area toward the back of the house. A small bridge and gazebo overlooked the tranquil waters. When Charlie returned he had a blindfold, a dozen or so red and white roses, and a keychain with a purple heart.

             
“Baby, I have a surprise for you. These are for you
,
my Sweetness.” Charlie handed her the roses, and Corrin fought even harder to keep back tears. “Charles Lee Ruston III, what are you up to? What are we doing at someone else’s home? We are going to get into big trouble if the owners come home and find us here.”

Smiling, Charlie kissed her forehead tenderly. “I really don’t think we have to worry about that. Here, put this on and give me your hand.” Corrin did as her husband said with great anticipation. Butterflies whirled and twirled around in her stomach. She could hardly breathe as Charlie led her to the front door of the house. When he lifted her up into his massive arms, she felt like a child getting ready to open gifts on Christmas morning.

             
After carrying her over the threshold, Charlie slowly placed Corrin back down. “Keep your eyes closed when I remove this blindfold
,
Babe. I have something I want to show you here.” Nodding her head in agreement, Corrin waited patiently. When Charlie told her she could
finally open her eyes, she was ecstatic. The expression on her face was priceless
,
according to Charlie in a later conversation.

             
The home was fully decorated with great taste. All the colors and fabrics she adored, filled the home in
it’s
entirety. The huge foyer was a circular shape to go with the driveway. In the middle of the room was an oversized, round, mahogany table, with a huge bouquet of flowers. Lilies, tulips, roses of all colors, and other exotic flowers Corrin could not recognize filled the enormous crystal vase. A huge Victoria chandelier was the focal point of the room, which brought great ambience and sophistication to the home as one entered.

             
The room was a deep blue, with complimentary accessories throughout
,
creating a soothing environment. A huge mirror, a side table and two chairs completed the area. A perfect place to read a good book without interruption, Corrin concluded with a great desire to test her own theory. She had been dying to get started on Eric Jerome Dickey’s latest book “Pleasure”.
But t
hat would have to wait
for now
. They were just beginning the grand tour, and if the rest of the home looked like the main entrance, she would spend the rest of the day and night thanking Charlie abundantly.

             
Charlie grabbed her hand, kissing it with his soft, sweet lips. “Follow me.” Corrin did. A formal dining room, decorated in greens, beiges, purples and oranges set to the left of the home, as the formal living area set to the right. The room looked vibrant with all the rich colors of blues, browns, and yellows, blending to perfection. Oversized furniture gave the room a livable, yet contemporary feel. An open bricked, floor to ceiling, fireplace set in the center of the room. Bookcases were on both sides of it, with every book Corrin could think of or ever wanted to read, she later learned from Charlie.

             
Collecting books of all genres was also one of Corrin’s hidden obsessions since a young kid. She had acquired many limited copies of rare publications along her travels throughout the world. She cherished each with her life. Reading was something she loved and would spend the rest of her days making sure she read each and every book occupying the bookcases, Corrin noted in her mind that day as Charlie lead her into the living space smiling.

             
Ceiling to floor drapes covered the windows, in patterns Corrin adored. A round ottoman set on an oversized Italian rug separating one sofa from the other. Two winged-back chairs set vertically in the room.

             
The way everything was put together was wonderful. Corrin wondered who had decorated the home. It was as if whomever it was, simply tapped into her mind. She would have put every piece of everything together herself, just as it was right at the moment. Every vase, trinket, painting, candle, picture frame, and other accessories fit perfectly together, and the colors made the room look even more amazing.

             
The fact that the deep mahogany wood flooring ran from the foyer into the other parts of the home overwhelmed her. It was lovely. She had always dreamed of having mahogany wood floors throughout her dream home, and now her dream was right in front of her. It was true.  Corrin looked up thanking God for blessing her with a husband like Charlie, who would go through all of this to see her happy.

             
Next, Charlie led her to the kitchen. When she saw it, Corrin almost had a heart attack. Her heart was beating so fast, Charlie pulled out a barstool for her to sit down. Every appliance, cabinet, backdrop, color scheme, and the granite countertops were sinful.

             
The gigantic island in the middle of the space, doubled as an eating area so they would not have to use the formal dining room every day. Rich colors of reds, browns, yellows and oranges, gave the kitchen an Italian Bistro feel. And the deep tones in the concrete tiled floor
finished the room’s elegance and charm. Corrin could not wait to prepare many delicious, sav
o
ry meals for her family.

             
A subzero frig, open-range stove with inserted grill, built-in deep fryer and griddle were just a few of the items occupying her beautifully decorated kitchen. To the side of the kitchen were a door to the left and a door to the right.

             
The one on the left led to the attaching garage and the one of the right led to a large pantry, with a secret door inside that led to a wine cellar.  Every wine one could imagine lived and breathed in the space. Charlie was a wine connoisseur, so Corrin knew he would have a cellar whenever they built a home. From the size of the cellar, Corrin knew that Charlie spent a great deal of time finding rare quantities, limited productions, and all timeless favorites from all over the country and far beyond.

             
A whining staircase led downstairs to a finished basement that looked like something from a magazine. A pool table, pinball machine, several other arcade games lined the walls, while a full-sized bar set along another. A sectional sofa, with matching chair set in the middle of the space. Earth tones gave the space a homey, relaxing feel to it, and Corrin could not wait to lounge around all day with her husband.

             
Although she did not drink at the moment, she still enjoyed having the option of a bar whenever they entertained guests. Ceiling to floor windows allowed natural light to enter the room, and a glass door led out to a gigantic, oval shaped indigo in-ground pool.

             
The guest house was only feet away with a cabana, outside shower, round bar, and lounge chairs. A round bar set in the pool underneath a massive, yet elegant waterfall and slide. It was like having a hidden oasis in her very own backyard; Corrin gathered taking in the beautiful paradise she would call her backyard. All she and Charlie had to do was walk outside their home to go on vacation.

             
The yard went on forever. There were steps leading down to a private sitting area that overlooked the beautiful lake. A barbeque grill, fire pit and other outdoor accessories completed to amazing space. Corrin was beyond words. She knew that Charlie put a lot of sweat, dirt and tears into creating the perfect home, but Corrin s
aw
with her own eyes that he had done way more than she ever imagined. It was simply perfect, beyond her expectations. It was as if God had kissed that piece of land just for the both of them to share. Corrin was overwhelmed by the beauty of her home, and the love growing in her heart toward her wonderful husband. 

             
Back inside, Charlie led Corrin down a long hallway. A powder room, two guest bedrooms, and a living space occupied the first part of the hallway, while a full-sized bath, two more rooms, and another living space occupied the third level of the home.
She couldn’t wait to fill each room with a child, Corrin thought as she looked at each of them. She wanted a large family and now that they had the space, she couldn’t wait to start expanding theirs.
Just as Corrin was wondering where the master bedroom was, Charlie led her to a secret hallway
,
through a door in the second living space.

             
Ten wooden steps led up to their love nest. A California king-sized bed set in the middle of the room, with oversized matching furniture; a fireplace, living area, and hidden patio with a hot tub completed the open space. The master bathroom held a round spa Jacuzzi tub in the center of the room, a shower that doubled as a sauna set on one side of the room, with more than twenty different jets, which could fit about ten people comfortably. His and her private toilet rooms, individual sinks, a vanity for her and a shaving area for him and just to the back of the room set his and her walk-in closets.

             
Corrin was so overwhelmed
that
by the time she walked into her closet seeing all the new clothing, shoes, and accessories, she broke down crying in Charlie’s arms. “What’s wrong
, Sweetheart
? Don’t you like the house?” She could not believe he had asked her
such a foolish
question.

“Are you kidding me? I love this house. I love everything about it, but most of all, I love you for giving it to me.” Charlie stared into her eyes endlessly. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her so intensely, Corrin lost her balance and leaned into his hard body. His manhood greeted her with a total salute. “I will give you the world if you said you wanted it,” Charlie whispered into her ear.

             
They made love right there in her walk-in closet next to all the beautiful shoes, on the little sitting couch there just for her to put them on.  Corrin used her body to thank her husband. She gave all that she had to give and much more. By the time they finished, they had made their way throughout the entire home, christening each room.

Corrin could feel her husband’s hands on her body at that moment. She still couldn’t get him out of her system, nor did she want to. The ringing of the phone brought Corrin back to reality, and the fact that Charlie was gone. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so she allowed the answering service to pick up. It was her mother calling to check on her. Corrin almost grabbed the phone, but she could not move. Somehow, she had made it back from the kitchen with another bottle of wine from the wine cellar.

             
It was just after ten o’clock in the morning and she was already drunk.
She had spent all night thinking about Charlie and recalling now perfect their life was that she hadn’t bothered to look at the time.
What was happening to her? Did she have a problem? Corrin shook the thought from her mind. She was fine. She was a grown woman, and if she wanted to spend her weekends drinking wine or any other time, she was entitled to do just that. She did not have anything else to do, so why not?