Billionaire's Inheritance Bride(17)

Claudio then pulled back and smiled. He switched the cooker off and then  whispered in Suzanne's ear. "I've been waiting a long time to do that … "

"You can do it again, if you want to … " she whispered in answer.

They kissed again, this time more passionately than before. Suzanne  pushed her hands underneath his T-shirt caressing his abs. Claudio then  picked her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.



Claudio lay her on top of his bed, she looked up at him, lustful and  ready. In the fervent heat of the moment they tore each other's clothes  off. Claudio lay Suzanne on the bed, her naked body supple, curved, and  beautiful. He kissed slowly down her body, teasing her nipples with his  tongue before kissing along her smooth thighs.

She looked down at him as he ran his tongue over her pussy and then  inside. Suzanne groaned in pleasure, feeling his tongue moving inside.  She wanted him more than ever; she needed him.

Claudio lay on top of her, and guided his cock deep inside, letting out  almost a growl of lust as he did so. Suzanne wrapped his legs around  him, pulling him deeper and deeper inside. Claudio was big, and as he  moved in and out, his hips rhythmically gyrating with Latin finesse, she  felt an orgasm building up and releasing. She quivered all over.

Then, Claudio turned Suzanne onto her front, kissing her back and then  sensually making love to her once more. They moved together as one,  Claudio's athletic grip strong and powerful, she pushing back against  him as he reached climax.

Finally, they came together, and both collapsed on the bed panting with  satisfaction, their sweat covered bodies still interlocked.

Suzanne felt utterly happy in that moment, but it did not last long.

Hours later, the phone rang in the night. Claudio woke, knowing that a  phone call at that time could only be bad news. He hesitated and then  answered:

"Claudio, it's Cristiano," his brother said on the end of the line.

"Oh no … " said Claudio, knowing what was wrong before the words were spoken.

"Dad's had a stroke. You better come to the hospital," Cristiano said.

When he hung up, Claudio sat there for a moment, dazed. Then it came, a single tear down his cheek.

"Claudio … " Suzanne said. She held him close. "I'll come with you." And she did.

It was indeed a stroke. When Claudio and Suzanne entered the hospital  room, they found Claudio's father in bed, tubes attached to him, and  machines beeping rhythmically.         

     



 

Cristiano stood up and embraced his brother. "They don't know if he'll make it through the night. He's not conscious."



Claudio rushed to his father's side and sat there for a while, just  holding his hand, looking at the man he idolized, the man he just wanted  to make proud; now reduced to a frail patient in a hospital bed, one of  countless no doubt in the building.

After a brief knock at the door, a doctor in a white coat entered the room. He shook hands with Claudio: "Hello Mr. Vega."

"What can you tell us?" asked Claudio in return.

The doctor had a grave expression: "All we know is he's had a stroke and  that his vitals are weak. We're not sure if he'll ever regain  consciousness, and even if he does, there's no way to know how much  damage has been done."

"What caused it?" Claudio was desperate for answers. If he could  identify the source of the problem, he felt somehow he could fix it.  He'd pay for the best doctors and medical care money could buy, but even  that wouldn't guarantee his father's recovery.

"Mr. Vega, it's difficult to know what could have caused it. He seems  relatively healthy for his age, perhaps stress of some kind."

"This is all your fault!" Cristiano yelled, pointing at Suzanne.

"Me?" she said, upset.

"Yes, you!"

Claudio tried to interject, "Cristiano, please … "

Cristiano ignored his brother's attempts of diplomacy. " You little  whore! If you hadn't been in that bed with my brother, he wouldn't have  been shamed, and my dad wouldn't have been under such pressure and  worry!"

Suzanne looked at Claudio: "Claudio … "

But she saw something then which broke her heart. Claudio would not  defend her. In fact, he looked as though he almost believed what his  brother was saying.



"You don't believe this, do you?" she said.

"I … " Claudio stammered.

He didn't admit it, but he didn't deny it either, and in Suzanne's eyes  she could do no good for them there in that room. Tears began to stream  down her face as she looked at Maxwell lying there in bed. She stepped  forward, held his hand and then kissed him on the forehead. "Get better,  Maxwell." Suzanne then stormed out of the room, leaving the room in  silence, broken only by the beeps of the hospital machinery.

Suzanne hailed a cab, and on the way back to the apartment she thought  things through. She'd been broken and knocked around too much in life.  This one time she had opened her heart, and now the thought of Claudio's  accusing stare was enough to push her over the edge. Never again would  she allow herself to be hurt like that.

To hell with the arrangement.

To hell with men!

Claudio was exhausted when he returned home. It was daylight, and he'd  been sitting by his father's side all night. He was emotionally drained  and now wanted nothing more than to sleep. He was worried about his  father, but there was little he could do about that than just hope that  he pulled through.

He felt terrible that he hadn't defended Suzanne. Of course, Cristiano  was just lashing out in hurt, they both knew it wasn't Suzanne's fault.  She had been just as much a victim as anyone else that day in the hotel.  She'd been drugged too.

There was little doubt in Claudio's mind that the scandal had resulted  in his father's stroke, the stress of the situation had visibly weakened  him, but that was no reason to blame Suzanne. He would make it up to  her somehow.



But things had been taken out of Claudio's hands.

When he returned to the apartment he found a letter waiting for him. It read:

Dear Claudio,

I am so sorry about Maxwell, I really hope he pulls through, as he is a  lovely man who I am very fond of. I'm also fond of you, Claudio. More  than fond, actually. I have been trying to fight it for so long. I  didn't want to believe that I was falling in love with you, because I  knew it would open me up to pain and rejection. All my life I've been  rejected, and I cannot hang around for you to accuse me of being  involved in that terrible scandal. How could you do that? I know now  that you will never be able to trust me. You will always think somewhere  deep inside of you that somehow I was involved. That I'm a gold digger  or a black mailer. I am neither. I'm just Suzie. And that's who I'll  remain. I've left the apartment for good now. There is nothing left for  me here I hope that you and your family get through this difficult time.         

     



 

Good bye,

Suzie

Claudio searched around the apartment, but could find no trace of  Suzanne. She had indeed left, and taken with her only the clothes he had  found her in a year previous.





***


It was the most stressful time of his life. For weeks, every single  night, Claudio sat by his father's bed hoping that he would get better.  During the day, he would look for Suzie. He'd hired three private  detectives, and yet no one had seen or heard anything about her. It was  as if she'd vanished into thin air.



Worse still, his ban was now coming to an end. The idea of taking to the  field once more without his father in the stands to cheer him on was  almost unbearable. To his surprise, the thought of being without Suzanne  was equally as painful. In her absence he had grown to realize just how  much he loved her.

But, at least his father was now awake, unfortunately he hadn't  recovered his speech yet, but it was a move in the right direction.

One night, just a week before he was due to play his first competitive  game for the Giants in over a year, Claudio sat next to his dad. The  conversations were one-sided, but there was no doubt that his father was  listening.



"I can't find her, Dad. I've looked everywhere," Claudio said, Maxwell  looking at him with frail eyes. "I miss her. I really do, but she's a  product of the street, and there are just too many of them to search. I  hate the idea of her being back on the streets, who knows what could  happen to her. I'm worried sick. There was no way to know until she was  gone, but I really love her, Dad." Claudio had tears in his eyes.

At these words, Maxwell struggled for a moment. He moved with discomfort.

"Dad, are you okay?"

He let out a groan.

"Nurse, nurse!" Claudio screamed.

Quickly, a nurse rushed into the room to check on Maxwell, but by that  time Claudio realized what was wrong. He was pointing at a potted plant  with yellow and blue flowers.



"This, dad? You want this?"

Maxwell groaned again.

His dad had received so many flowers, gifts and cards, that it was difficult to keep track of all of them.