The Reconstruction of Carla Millhouse (13 page)

By the time Carla came out of the bathroom in her nightgown, Martin was asleep. She slipped under the blanket and turned away from him. The last thing she wanted was for him to know was that she was crying.

* * *

Martin was feigning sleep. Earlier, he’d wanted to make love to Carla, but right now he didn’t feel up to it. She had looked great that evening and he hadn’t missed the looks given her by some of the other men in the restaurant, but he felt like an actor returning to Broadway after a hiatus and feared flubbing his lines. When they made love again after all the months of abstinence, he wanted to be in peak form.

Martin heard a soft sniffle and saw her shoulders tremble. He surmised that Carla was crying. Had to be not having sex. Perhaps Heather was right. Women needed to be laid, too. This had never occurred to him. When he hadn’t initiated any love play because her weight gain had repulsed him, she never acted like she cared or even missed it. The truth was that he’d never stopped loving Carla, but he had needs. The other women had been only notches on his belt, nothing more and one night-stands—until Heather entered his life.

Heather was different from the others. She was impulsive and exciting. Perhaps after the mundane existence he had with Carla, his libido needed the thrill he got from Heather. Knowing she was his boss’s wife only added to the joy ride. The fact that he was laying his financial well-being on the line every time they met added danger to the excitement. The affair had nothing to do with his marriage. Besides, he and Heather were both married and neither intended on leaving their spouses. Carla, unlike his mother who had been cheated on by his father, had nothing to fear. It was all covered by the sacred double standard that it was expected of men to cheat. It was in their Y chromosome, or something.

He suddenly had the desire to take her in his arms and console her, but like gas, a moment later, the urge had dissipated. He’d make it up to her tomorrow night. That was the last thought he had before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Carla eventually fell asleep. She dreamed she was getting married. Everything was exactly as it had happened. Lynne and her mother were helping her put on her gown. Everyone was in the chapel waiting for the
Wedding March
to announce her arrival. Her father was in his tux outside the small dressing room waiting to walk her down the aisle. Though she was nervous, this was going to be the happiest day of her life. Finally, she was ready and her father took her arm and led her to the large wooden doors that opened into the chapel where the minister was waiting to marry her. She took a final deep breath and nodded to her father.

The doors opened and she slowly walked down the aisle to where her husband-to-be waited. She looked straight ahead, without her glasses, things were a little out of focus. She wished she’d gotten contacts. Finally, she reached Martin’s side.

But the man that took her hand in his wasn’t Martin, but Richard!

Carla’s heart lurched and a deep ache pooled low in her abdomen. It was as if she already knew how he would feel sliding into her. She knew this wasn’t right, but nobody seemed to care. If it didn’t matter to anyone else, she figured it would be okay. Besides, Richard looked so handsome in his tux and he was smiling that slow smile at her and his eyes grew dark with desire.

The minister began the ceremony. Just as he reached the part where he’d ask if anyone thought they shouldn’t be married… Martin turned over and poked Carla in the ribs, waking her. She remembered what she’d been dreaming about. She could still feel echoes of that ache between her legs. She savored it for a moment, then she turned over and went back to sleep.

* * *

The following morning when Carla opened her eyes, she found herself staring directly into Martin’s beautiful blue ones. Her mind began to sift through the lingering veil of sleep to remember what day it was Sunday. Then she recalled the events of the night before.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Better. And you?”

“Fine.”

She looked at him as she searched his face trying to figure out why he’d asked her the same question. Was it only a reflex action on his part or…had he known she was crying last night? No, that was impossible, unless he hadn’t been asleep. Had he feigned sleep to avoid making love to her? No, that wasn’t it. Hadn’t he mentioned making it up to her? Then what? She was no longer certain about the meaning of anything he’d said or done the previous night. Then she remembered her dream and felt her face heat as guilt washed over her.

Martin’s smile broke through her thoughts. Her mind emptied rapidly as he rolled on top of her and his lips covered hers.

A beat later, a wave of apprehension washed over Carla. What if she wasn’t as sexy as her competition? Would that cinch it for Martin? No bimbo was going to win.
Game on
, she thought, as she stroked his hardening penis.

Chapter Eighteen

Monday afternoon, Lynne met Carla for lunch. She’d head from there to an apartment open house afterward. When she mentioned her plans to Carla, her friend replied pragmatically, “I do hope you’re investing the dough you’re making.”

“What for? Don’t I have a rich writer friend I can borrow from if I need it?”

Carla chortled. “Yeah, right. I was hoping to mooch off of you.”

They met at the usual place. The 5 & Diner was busy, but they managed to get in before the crush, snaring a booth in the back. The waiter dropped off two menus and went off to wait on another table.

The waiter had returned and was writing down their orders, two Cobb salads with unsweetened iced tea, when Richard slid into the booth next to Carla.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, her face lit up quicker than the flash on a camera. “I didn’t expect to see
you
today. How’d you know I’d be here?”

“A good guess,” Richard replied, smiling.

“How did you manage to sneak away from your trial?” Carla asked looking genuinely interested.

“Two of the prosecution’s witnesses didn’t show.”

“Lucky you,” Lynne said.

“I’m glad to see you,” Carla said. “You’re just in time to hear my good news.”

“Sir, would you like to order?” The waiter interrupted.

They had forgotten he was standing there.

“I’ll have a turkey club with coffee. Thanks.”

“What good news?” Lynne prodded.

Carla began to beam again and picked up where she’d left off. “Martin and I had a big breakthrough this weekend.”

Richard felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut by a mule.

Since Carla was facing Lynne with Richard by her side, she didn’t notice his smile die and his face pale when she said that. But Lynne did. She suddenly wanted to tell Carla not to continue with her confession.

Unaware of the drama unfolding around her, Carla continued. “Martin told me that I looked great and couldn’t keep his hands off of me. It was as if he finally saw me for the first time in months.”

“Who knows,” Lynne began tightly, “this could be the beginning of the end of his cheating.”

“I don’t know about that.” Carla said.

“Why not?” Lynne asked. “He’s got a great wife at home, why wander?”

“Richard, what do you think?” Carla asked.

“Huh?”

“Haven’t you been listening?” Carla asked, turning to look at him. She grew alarmed at the sight of his face. “Richard? Is something wrong?”

“Ah, yeah. I just remembered I’ve got to get back to the office.”

“You’re not staying to eat?” Carla asked, her brows furrowed with concern.

“I’m afraid not,” Richard gritted, placing a twenty on the table to cover his meal.

“At least wait until the waiter brings your sandwich and have it wrapped to go,” Lynne suggested
. Poor guy
, she thought.

“No time,” was all Richard said before rushing away.

“What was that all about?” Carla asked Lynne.

“Maybe he didn’t want to hear about you and Martin.”

Carla pondered that reply. It never had bothered him before. Suddenly she knew that something
had
changed between her and Richard. Guiltily she recalled the passionate kiss after his office party and the erotic dream she had the other night. She pushed the thought away, reminding herself that she was a married woman. A woman trying to win back her husband’s love.

Lynne brought her back on point. “I’m glad things went well with Martin.”

“You were right. I should never have let myself go.”

“I know.”

“Thanks.”

“For what, Carla?”

“For being there with me. For being my friend. I don’t know—everything,” Carla said feeling her eyes growing moist.

“Hey, that’s what friends do. They stick together,” Lynne told her as she patted her hand. “Don’t cry. You’ll make your salad salty.”

The waiter put the dishes on the table. He hadn’t even noticed that Richard wasn’t there.

“By the way, I almost forgot. How are things going with Haywood?”

Lynne smiled, her whole face lighting up. “Where should I begin?”

“How about at the beginning?”

“He’s very sweet. Definitely not like the other guys I’ve dated. Even has all his teeth. There’s a boyish quality to him I just love. And he’s never been married and doesn’t have a dozen kids.”

“Now, that’s a plus.”

Carla knew her friend was referring to the last guy she dated. He had told her he was divorced and had a kid from that marriage.

What he’d neglected to tell her was that it was his third divorce and that he was the father of five other kids.

Six months into their relationship, all of his ex-wives decided to go on vacation at the same time and he had to watch his entire brood, ranging in age from ten down to eighteen months. Needless to say, Lynne saw him in a different light after that.

Lynne continued dreamily, “Well, Saturday we saw you at the Scarborough Fair. On Sunday we took a drive to the zoo. Believe it or not, I had a blast. I had cotton candy and we took pictures together in one of those booths.”

She opened her purse and removed several strips of small photos.

“You make a great-looking couple.”

“Yeah, we do, don’t we?” Lynne agreed. “Of course, you’re not looking at all the pictures.”

“You mean the ones you took out where he was making faces,” Carla said grinning.

“Yeah, those. By the way, was it me or did you notice how strangely Haywood looked at Martin?”

“I did notice and Martin got very defensive when I asked him about it. Did you mention something to Haywood, as well?”

“He told me he thought he recognized him from some place. I got the feeling it was more than that. However he didn’t want to discuss it, either.”

“I guess it’s really a small world, after all,” Carla admitted before she attacked her salad with knife and fork.

Lynne broke the silence. “Doing anything special for Christmas, Carla?”

“No. We’ll just exchange gifts and I’ll watch Martin watch TV. How’s about you?”

“Just going to snuggle with Haywood all day.”

“Don’t we live exciting lives,” Carla said.

Both women laughed.

Chapter Nineteen

Richard had to get out of that diner as quickly as he could.

As he listened to Carla talk about Martin, he could feel his heart breaking. He didn’t have to be a genius to read between the lines. Thinking of her in Martin’s arms sickened him. How he wished Carla had never started to lose weight. As she shed each pound, she moved further from his grasp. And now it seemed that he was going to lose her for good.

It just wasn’t fair. It sucked big time.

He’d just been struck by lightning twice—zapped straight through his damn heart again. What the devil was wrong with him? Was he a magnet for misery? Why had he allowed himself to get involved with a woman he knew he could never possess? He knew it was stupid from the get-go, and yet, he did it with his eyes wide open. With Courtney, his fiancée, he never saw it coming—or had he merely refused to believe all the signs? Despite all the hours he had spent debating that question, the jury was still out.

It had been more than just having his friend, Jared’s, name included in her
Fave
Five.
Her running to hug him whenever he came over to see Richard at the place they were sharing, or accidentally bumping into Jared—twice. The way she looked at Jared when she didn’t think Richard was looking. Maybe because he truly loved her he hadn’t been able to connect all the dots back then. If love was an acceptance of all of another’s faults and short-comings, then where did love end and stupidity begin? According to his mother he was looking for love in all the wrong houses of worship. Had his family’s coolness toward Courtney played a part in his losing her?