The Wandering Caravan (10 page)

“Now look who’s a pussy,” I said.

“What’s the point if they just want me for my money?” Mike snapped.

I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. Get over it.”

Mike shook his head. “This is why I talk to Scarlet. She actually listens to me.”

“I’m listening,” I said quickly. “But I’m not going to have girl talk with you.”

Ryan poured a scotch and handed it to Mike. “Cut him some slack.”

“You’re lucky my brother-in-law likes you,” I said.

“Brother,” Ryan corrected. “Just brother.”

“That was a pussy thing
to say,” Cortland teased.

“We’re throwing that word around a lot,” I said. “We should stop before someone hears us.”

“You’re the boss,” Ryan said. “Who cares?”

We sat in companionable silence, drinking our scotch and not being productive at all
. I thought about Scarlet, the woman who was always in my thoughts.

“I’m buying her a car. I just don’t know what to get her.”

Ryan cringed. “She’s not going to like that. She has plenty of money. Let her buy it on her own.”

“No,” I said immediately. “I’m her husband. I buy her everything.”

“I’m telling you,” Ryan said. “Let her have some independence. If you don’t give it to her, she’s going to get pissed.”

“Monnique is the same way,” Cortland said with a sigh. “It’s annoying as hell.”

I didn’t like her buying her own car. “It doesn’t feel right.”

“You already bought her everything she needs,” Ryan said. “She doesn’t need a car.”

“What if she wants to go to the store or something?” I asked.

“Scarlet has never driven in her life,” Ryan said. “She’ll kill everyone in her path.”

I laughed. “I’ll teach her.”

“And you’ll die,” Ryan said with a serious face.

“What if she wants to come to the office and see me?” Sean said. “To check on me?”

“To check on you?” Cortland asked incredulously. “She’s not a psycho wife that doesn’t trust you.”

“Well…what if she misses me?”

Ryan gave me a disgusted look. “Too much info, bro.”

Cortland looked interested. “Can I do that with Monnique?”

“Just don’t get caught,” I said. “And it’s better than doing it in my car.”

Cortland smiled. “That was fun.”

“You fucked Monnique in the Ferrari?” Mike asked.

“Yep,” Cortland said.

Mike gave him a high-five.

I rolled my eyes at their exchange.

“How’s that going?” Mike asked.

“We’re good,” Cortland said. Everyone detected the sadness in his voice.

“Are you sure...?” Ryan asked.

Cortland shrugged. “She used to be engaged. After five years together, they broke up. She refused to tell me why.”

Ryan and I exchanged a confused expression.

“What’s the big deal?” Ryan asked.

“How can you get engaged to someone then just walk away?” Cortland asked while he stared at his glass. “That was five years of her life—gone. Did it not mean anything to her? Do I mean anything to her…?”

Now I understood Cortland’s perspective. “I wouldn’t worry about it. The past is the past. She said she wanted to get married, right?”

“Yeah…” Cortland sighed. “But that doesn’t mean much.”

“I think you’re reading into it too much,” Ryan said.

“Then why won’t she tell me why? The third time I asked her she didn’t talk to me for five days.”

“Is that why you two were acting weird?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Cortland answered.

“I would just let it go,” Ryan said. “No matter what her answer is, you’re never leaving her, right?”

“Of course not,” he said immediately.

“Then it doesn’t matter,” Ryan said.

“I guess…” Cortland still seemed upset about the subject.

We talked about the baseball game on last night. Scarlet ordered pizzas and she scarfed down her very own. I thought that was sexy and I wasn’t sure why. The fact she was so little but ate like a man was a turn on. But I did notice she gained a little weight. I didn’t care in the least. She was still exceptionally beautiful to me, and I still loved making love to her every night. That would never change.

Since we’d been moving and honeymooning, she hadn’t been going to the gym. All of that, in addition to the stress, probably triggered the weight gain. She’d start going to the gym when she was ready, but it didn’t make a difference to me if she did or not. But we did have a beautiful beach right in our backyard. She and I should go running together.

I had some paperwork to do, but I abandoned it for the moment. Instead, I poured another glass of scotch and talked to the guys, enjoying the time away from the girls. Most of the time, they were bored by our conversations.

12

Scarlet

Being in the city again was an odd sensation. The last time I was here it was on very bad terms. But Janice and I took a cab and decided to go shopping in the city. I needed new clothes since they were getting a little tight. I bought new work-out clothes to encourage me to go outside. I needed motivation to get my lazy ass on a treadmill.

Janice assumed I was pregnant, just like everyone else did. But I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. I was relieved because Sean and I weren’t ready for our first child. Financially, we could handle it, but I wanted some alone time with my husband before our kids started popping out.

I bought some lingerie because I knew Sean would enjoy that. Our physical relationship was as strong as ever, but I wanted to keep the heat going as long as possible. I started to get self-conscious about the extra weight in my stomach, but Sean made me forget about it. When he worshipped my body with kisses, he made me feel sexy and desired. And my self-esteem was no longer an issue.

It was nice spending time with Janice. It seemed like we were always in the company of the guy
s. And that got old. They were always more interested in sex than socializing.

“Where’s Sean’s office?” Janice asked.

“I think on fifth.”

“You should stop by and say hi.”

“No,” I said immediately. “I’m sure he’s busy.”

“Have you even seen his office?”

“No.”

“Then we should go,” she said. “Come on.”

Since she was so interested in seeing his building, I went along with it. I had some leftover pizza from the restaurant, so he would probably devour that in a second. But he could be a picky eater when he was working out hard. I didn’t mind. He had the body of a Greek god, and I loved staring at it when he thrust into me while he was on top.

When we walked into the buildi
ng, there were five elevators with security guards in front of them. I thought that was a little extreme, but at least I knew Sean was safe.

“Where do we go?” Janice asked.

“Umm…I guess the front desk?”

There was a large counter that stretched to opposite sides of the room. A large lobby had people waiting in large chairs. They sipped their coffee while they looked at the clock.

I approached the counter and looked at the woman wearing a suit. “Hi. I’m here to see Sean.”

“Who’s Sean?” she asked in a condescending way.

Wow, she was rude. I brushed it off. “Sorry. I mean, Mr. Preston.”

“Which one?”

Oh yeah. There were two of them. “Sean Preston.”

Janice glared at the woman like she would pounce on her.

“He’s not available.” The woman didn’t look at me once. “But you can contact support on our website and see if they can help.”

I guess I should have mentioned I was his wife to begin with. “Actually, I’m Mrs. Preston. Sean is my husband.”

She looked in her computer then turned back to me. “You don’t have clearance. I’m sorry.”

Janice couldn’t hold it in any longer. “If you want to keep your job, I suggest you show some respect!”

Everyone turned to us, and my face reddened. “Janice, calm down.”

“No,” she snapped. “This is bullshit.”

“I didn’t tell him I was coming,” I said immediately.

“So? Call him and tell him you’re here. Then fire this cunt.”

I pulled Janice away. “Shh! Don’t cause a scene.”

“Call him,” she barked.

I pulled out my cell phone and called him. I tried to avoid bothering him when he was at work. I knew he had a lot to take care of during the day. But he usually called me when he had his lunch break. Whenever I did call him, he always answered, even if he was in a meeting. He answered now.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m actually in the lobby of your building…”

“Is everything okay?” he said immediately.

“Yeah, it’s fine. They just won’t let me up.”

“Did you tell them you’re my wife?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there in a second.” He hung up.

“Sean’s coming.”

Janice glared at the woman. “Good.”

“Janice, she’s just doing her job. I’m relieved she doesn’t let just any woman go into his office.”

“She was still rude.”

A few minutes later, Sean stepped out of the elevator. His suit fit tight around his body, making his shoulders broad and sculpted. I just saw him this morning, but I forgot how handsome he was. He made eye contact with me then came to my side. His hand moved around my waist and he kissed me, right in front of everyone.

I didn’t expect him to be affectionate at work. I knew he had a reputation to uphold. I pulled away then dropped my hand.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I just don’t think you should kiss me like that in front of your employees.”

He raised an eyebrow then placed both hands on my cheeks. He kissed me again, harder and with more passion. When he pulled away, he pressed his head to mine. “I don’t give a shit. You’re my wife and I love you. And I want my employees to know that.”

Janice smiled smugly. “That bitch behind the counter was extremely rude to us. Fire her.”

“Janice,” I hissed. “Let it go.”

“Was she?” Sean asked. “What did she do?”

“She acted like we were trash off the street.” Janice was more worked up than I was.

“I’ll take care of it.” Sean adjusted his tie then stepped away.

“No.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Don’t do anything. Just leave her alone.”

Janice rolled her eyes. “She needs to know who’s in charge here.”

“Don’t fire her,” I said firmly.

Sean eyed me then released the breath he was holding. “Okay. But I’m going to make sure they understood who you are and
to let you come and go whenever you want.” He pulled away and approached the counter.

Janice and I watched him talk to the woman. She looked scared as hell. Janice smiled in victory. “I hope he gave her a good scare.”

Sean returned and handed me a keycard. “Just show this to everyone and they’ll let you go anywhere. I’m sorry. I should have given it to you before. I assumed being my wife would be enough.”

“Apparently not,” Janice snapped.

“Ignore her,” I said. “She gets worked up easily.”

Sean put his hand around my waist. “What brings you here?”

“We just wanted to see where you work.”

“Well, come up,” he said.

“You aren’t busy or anything?” I said. “I don’t want to bother you.”

He stared at me like I was crazy. “Baby, you’re never bothering me. You can come whenever you want. And it doesn’t matter if I’m busy. You’re more important. You’re always more important.”

Sean was so sweet. He continued to surprise me everyday.

“This company is yours too, Scar. You’re
always welcome.” He guided me to the elevator and we rode it to the top floor.

Sean leaned close to me, towering over me with his height. He looked down at my bags. “Went shopping?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I got a few things…”

“How did you get here?”

“We took a cab.”

He cringed. “A cab?”

“Well, we don’t have a car.”

“I don’t want you taking a cab. I need to buy you a car anyway.”

“I don’t need a car,” I said immediately. “I’ll hardly use it.”

“I feel better if you have one if the need ever arises.”

“No thanks,” I said. “I’m fine.”

Janice leaned toward me. “When your husband offers you a car, just take it.”

“Listen to her,” Sean said.

“But I don’t need one.”

“You do when you visit me at work,” he said. “I don’t want you taking a cab. That’s final.”

I decided not to argue in front of Janice.

When we arrived at his floor, he introduced me to his employees. He made it clear to each and every one of them I was his wife. And that made me feel good. His hand was on my waist the entire time.

When we walked in his office, Cortland, Ryan, and Mike were there.

“What a lovely surprise,” Janice said.

Ryan looked at her and smiled. “Baby, what are you doing here?”

“Scar and I went shopping.”

He pulled her into his lap. “Did you get any lingerie?”

“No,” she said. “But Scarlet did.”

“Gross,” Ryan said.

Sean’s eyes widened. “That’s good news for me.” He kissed my forehead then poured me a glass of water. “Thirsty?”

“Thank you.” I sipped it then placed the glass on his desk. I was surprised to see a bunch of pictures of
me. Most of them were of Sean and I, but there was one of me by myself. I was sitting on the beach, not looking at the camera. My hair was dancing in the wind, and my eyes were shining bright. I didn’t even know he took it.

His hands wrapped around my
waist. “I took it in Hawaii.” He answered my unspoken question.

I looked away from the picture and smiled at him. “I’m surprised you have room for anything else on your desk.”

“I don’t need room for anything else.” He gave me a serious look.

I would never grow used to that. He loved me so much. It was true in everything he said and did. What if I hadn’t come back after I ran out on the wedding? What if I had given up on us? I wouldn’t have what I have now.
The perfect husband and the perfect marriage. Relationships weren’t always easy. They were hard work and full of pain. But it was definitely worth it.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked. “Since you clearly aren’t working.”

“Talking about the game last night,” he said. “And they helped me interview the applicants for my secretary position.”

“Find anyone good?” I asked.

“A graduate from NYU. I think he’ll be a good match.”

“A guy?” I asked. I didn’t mean to be sexist but a secretary position sounded extremely feminine.

“Yep,” he said. He didn’t elaborate.

“He refused to hire a girl so you wouldn’t worry about him,” Ryan said while rubbing Janice’s thigh.

“Worry about you?” I asked.

Sean glared at him. “I just didn’t feel comfortable working with a woman every single day. We’d spend a lot of time together and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Sean, I trust you. You could work with a supermodel and I wouldn’t care.”

His eyes softened. “Then I’d have to hire you because you’re a supermodel.”

My cheeks reddened. It was cheesy but I still liked it.

“The guys and I are having a poker game tonight at the house. Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked in confusion.

“I just wanted to make sure.”

“You live there too, Sean. You don’t have to ask me anything. And they are living with us anyway.”

“It’s always good to check in with the wifey.”

“Good answer,” Ryan said.

Sean turned to him. “When are
you leaving?”

He looked at his watch. “Soon. It sounds like you’re kicking
me out, so I guess now,” he said with a laugh.

“Could you take Janice with you?” I asked. “I’ll take Scarlet home when I get off work.”

“You don’t need to do that,” I said.

“I don’t want you taking a cab,” he said firmly. “Don’t argue with me about this.”

I rolled my eyes. “Psycho…”

He glared at me but dropped it.

“What about me?” Cortland asked.

“You can take a cab,” he said.

Cortland shrugged. “That’s fine with me.”

I felt bad for kicking Cortland out but I knew Sean wouldn’t have it any other way. Now I knew Sean would get me a car no matter how hard I protested.

“What am I going to do all day?” I asked incredulously. “I can just go back with Ryan and Janice.”

“You can visit with me. And put on that lingerie you just bought.” He winked at me.

“You’re gross,” I said.

“You’re one to talk,” he said with a laugh.

Ryan stood up and took Janice by the hand. “We’ll see you when you get home. And Sean, make sure you have enough cash. Because I’m about to take it all.”

Sean smirked. “Maybe I’ll bet the Ferrari
…”

“Ooh,” Cortland said. “Shit just got interesting.”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “Let’s tango.” He pulled Janice out and they left.

Cortland stood up from the couch. “I should get
to work…and let you guys do whatever you were going to do.” He left the office.

“Where’s Mike?” I said.

“Actually, I was hoping we could do this without him.” He closed the blinds to his office.