Eternally Seduced(101)

Something in Steel's voice made her look up in fear. "What is it?"

"Your husband is coming up." The curtly spoken words had barely left  Steel's mouth before his doors flew open and Staffan came stalking in,  past Steel's hapless-looking secretary. Steel nodded a dismissal before  turning to his brother-in-law. Steel had never felt strongly enough  about anyone outside his family, but this man was fast proving to be an  exception. He despised Staffan Aehrenthal to the point of becoming  unreasonable, and his tenuous grip on his temper was quickly eroding  with every instance he saw his baby sister being hurt.

Staffan's fists clenched at the way Steel had his arm protectively  around Saffi's slim shoulders. It didn't fucking matter that he was  Saffi's brother. He was a fucking man and in the mood he was in, he did  not any other man touching Saffi.

"What's this? A touching family reunion     and I wasn't called to be a part of it?"

Saffi jerked at the jeering note in Staffan's voice, but she still couldn't make herself look at him.

Steel's temper rose when he felt his sister's body jump at Staffan's  tone. He said between clenched teeth, "You are five seconds away from  being dragged out of here by security."

Staffan laughed. "Pretty boy like you can't handle me on your fucking own, is that it?"

Steel tensed.

Knowing that at any moment the two could get into a fistfight, Saffi  made herself look at Staffan. A silent cry of alarm went through her.  Staffan looked furious and had sounded like it, which had terrified  Saffi. If he had found out about Chloe and was going to take her to task  for it, she knew she would never survive the pain.

But it wasn't that.

Beyond the fury, there was a lost, wild look in Staffan's eyes, as if  his back had been forced against a wall and he didn't know where else to  turn.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Staffan's virulent look made her flinch. "You tell me, Saffi," he snarled. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Steel answered for her. "She's here because she's leaving you---"

"Over my dead body," Staffan growled, starting for Steel.

"No!" Saffi managed to move in front of Steel before Staffan could reach her brother.

Steel smiled icily. "That can easily be arranged."

Staffan said grimly, "I'll kill you first."

Saffi tried pushing Staffan away but he wouldn't budge, didn't even move  an inch. "Staffan!" When he didn't look at her, she changed tactics and  looked up at Steel instead. "Please, Steel, don't make this worse."

"The only way this is not going to end with one of us killing the other  is if you tell me why you're here," Staffan said coldly behind her.

She froze at his words, even as her heartbeat escalated into a panicky rhythm. Oh my God, could he know? Did he know?

At her silence, Staffan asked bitterly, "Are you trying to think of another lie, Saffi?"

She whirled around at those words, aghast at what he was thinking, at  how betrayed Staffan sounded. "No!" Her voice broke as she repeated  fiercely, "No!"

The look in Staffan's face made her cry. "I'm not lying, Staffan. Please believe me."

"Saffi." Steel was warning her, protecting her.

She loved him for it, knew he had a reason of warning her against  telling Staffan the truth but the look in Staffan's beautiful eyes was  unbearable. He hurt and because of that, she hurt too, badly. "I saw  Chloe this afternoon," she whispered.

Staffan jerked.

She quickly looked down, not wanting to see the look in Staffan's eyes  as she confessed the truth. "I gave her a check for a million dollars,"  she admitted haltingly. "I wanted her to go  –  to never bother you  again."

Saffi's head suddenly jerked up. "I won't give you up to her. I know you  hate my guts now  –  but Staffan, she doesn't deserve you. You're too  good for her." Saffi took deep gulps of air, trying to find a way to  make it easier to breathe through the pain was choking her from the  inside. "If you're going to forgive  –  then forgive me instead. Forgive  me and I promise I won't ever hurt you again. I'll always love you." She  looked at him with eyes that shamelessly begged. "Forgive me instead,  Staffan."

"That girl wants to love you to death. She wants to love you forever."

"Tell me the truth." The words felt like they had to be ripped out of  him because it goddamn terrified him to do this again  –  to put his trust  in Saffi when every instinct he possessed told him he was being stupid  to even consider it.

"Tell me the truth and we'll move on, we'll never talk about it again."  He looked at her, not bothering to conceal how her betrayal had torn him  to pieces, so much so that Staffan didn't feel he could ever be  complete again.

"We've only been married for just a few fucking days and you're already  tearing me apart. Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? WHY?"

"I told you," Saffi cried out. "It was because I was afraid you wouldn't be happy---"

"That's fucking bullshit and you know it!" Staffan roared. "How could  you fucking think I wouldn't be happy if we had a baby? I loved you,  Saffi. I loved you so why the fuck wouldn't I be happy to have another  part of you that would always be mine?"

She sobbed so hard at his question that it drove Saffi to her knees. Oh,  how easy Staffan made it sound! He had told her he loved her. He had  made her feel like he loved her, but all these years she had learned to  accept that no one outside her family could understand her  –  that no one  would ever care to love her because she was too different.

How could she not think he wouldn't be happy?

"I was young---"

"Stop with the fucking lies! Just because you're young doesn't make you  stupid. You're one of the goddamn smartest persons I know, Saffi!"

But she wasn't smart where it counted. Saffi wasn't smart at all because  if she was, she would have trusted him, and then none of this would  have happened.

"Why, Saffi, just tell me goddamn why … " Staffan sank to his knees in  front of her, and the sight of him kneeling made Saffi want to cry  endlessly.

Oh God, if only she had trusted him to love her and the baby!

"Why?" The sound of Staffan's heart breaking with that one word was audible, and her heart splintered into pieces along with it.

Maybe, she thought dully, maybe … maybe some lies could have a good ending.

There was only one way out here, one way to have Staffan back in her life, and the price for it would have to be another lie.

"I'm sorry." She forced herself to look at Staffan as she said  tremulously, "I'm sorry I lied to you. I turned to Jeremy for comfort … it  was just that one night. And I … I needed you so badly. So this baby  could be his. But I promise if you take me back … I won't ever lie to you  again."

She took his hand. "So please---" Her voice caught. "Please, please, please forgive me---"

Staffan hauled her to him, his lips covering hers. And as they kissed  and tasted her tears in between, Saffi prayed that this time she was  lying for all the right reasons  –  even if it didn't feel like it.





Chapter Nine




I think I just saw Staffan Aehrenthal and his new wife in a cab and they were doing it hard.

Twitter: JessieBrient



"I can't believe you ran halfway here." Saffi was gawking at him.

"Don't fucking bother to think about it," he muttered. Still feeling her  wide-eyed gaze at him, Staffan snarled, "I mean it. Don't think about  it." The realization that he had been so uncool as to leave his car in  the middle of the road  –  unlocked  –  just to run after his wife made  Staffan shudder.

As they went past the revolving doors of March Enterprises, they came to an awkward stop.         

     



 

"Do, uhh, you want to use one of Steel's cars---" The cold look Staffan gave her made Saffi shut up.

Deciding it would take too long to have Bob drive over to fetch them, he  said curtly, "Let's just take a cab." He didn't wait for her answer. He  nodded to one of the security men who was so obviously eavesdropping on  their conversation and the younger man, now red-faced, quickly hailed  one for them.

The first one that responded appeared more than a little old, with a  broken fender and windows rolled down because  –  as the cab driver  explained with a strong Creole accent  –  the air-conditioning unit was  broken. He was also half deaf and looked over sixty. It was possible  that he wasn't even licensed and was moonlighting in a borrowed cab.

At this moment, though, Staffan didn't give a fuck. All he wanted was to  get Saffi home and have a chance for them to lose themselves in each  other's bodies.

Saffi gave him a dubious glance. "We could just wait … ?"

He ushered her inside. He was done fucking waiting. He just wanted to  take her in his arms and pretend the whole world didn't exist. Whoever  fucking said that it didn't pay to be blind didn't fucking know  anything.