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The Private Serials Box Set(15)

By:Anie Michaels


Preston was silent at the other end of the line, but the silence also  allowed me to hear his car turning off, signaling he'd arrived wherever  he was headed.

"Anyway, sorry to bother you. Take your time with the case. I'm just anxious to get out of here."

"Lena," he whispered my name like it hurt him to do so. His voice was pained and thick, soft but strained. "Don't go."

"What?" My reply was whispered, just like his voice.

"Don't go. Don't. Make up some excuse, but don't go with him."

My mouth opened to say something, but then closed again, my mind not coming up with a reply.

"Preston, I have to go. I'm his wife," I finally uttered. I heard him  inhale and I winced, feeling like I'd hurt him somehow with my words.

"You're only his wife on paper," he said, sounding angrier, harsher.

"That's the only part that matters right now."

"His money can't be so important to you that you'd basically sell  yourself. That's what you're doing, Lena. You're selling yourself if you  go with him. You're pretending to be his wife for money. What does that  make you?"

Now it was my turn to be angry. "What, exactly, are you trying to say?" I  turned out of the living room, headed to my bedroom and walked to my  window, pulling the curtains back just slightly. Just enough to see his  black Lotus in its usual spot a few houses down.

"I don't want you with him." This statement was spoken in a voice still firm and a little angry, but also pleading.

His words evoked so many emotions from me it was hard to nail one down.  The overwhelming feelings were happiness and warmth. Preston cared  enough about me to want to keep me from Derrek. Whether this was out of  just macho dominance or genuine concern, it didn't matter. It'd been  years since someone cared about me and I wanted to wrap myself up in it.  But all of that happiness was tamped down by my need to get out of my  marriage intact. I couldn't let my emotions ruin my plans.

"Preston, I don't want to be with him, either," I said as I looked at  his car. I strained to see his form through the windows, but he was too  far. The urge to lay my eyes on him was overwhelming. Just to see him.  That was all I needed. "Will you do me a favor?" I whispered.

"Anything," he replied, making my eyes close and the breath steal away from me.

"Can you get out of your car for just a moment?"

He didn't answer, just opened his car door and got out, walking to the  front of it, staring right at me in my bedroom window. I bit down on my  lips to keep myself from asking him to come in, because I knew, without a  doubt, if I invited him in the game would be over.

"You're always gone when I wake up. How long do you stay out there?"

"Until I know for sure you're safe." His answer was both infuriating and beautiful.

"Goodnight, Preston."

"Sleep tight, sweetheart."



The next night, I found myself wasting a fantastic dress on Derrek. I  turned in the mirror to check the back of the dress. Yup. What a waste.

From the waist up, the dress was all black lace. It had a tight collar  neck with capped sleeves. The lace came down the back, but in the front  there was a rather large keyhole. It was big enough to show decent  cleavage, but not distastefully. The lace went down to my hips where it  met a soft, pink flowing material that floated out around me whenever I  moved, swishing in a way that made most girls smile. It was the kind of  material that made you want to move to see and feel the fabric swirl  around you. It had a high-low hem, so the front came to just above my  knees, but the back floated all the way to the ground. The lace was used  in the bottom half of the dress as detail, and swirled daintily around  my hips and curves.

My dark hair was up in a sophisticated twist with a few tendrils left  down to curl around my face. My makeup was soft and natural. The only  jewelry I wore were the diamond solitaire earrings my father gave me for  college graduation and my wedding ring.

I heard the front door open and took a deep breath in, trying to ready  myself to spend an evening pretending to be happy with my husband. I  heard him walking toward the bedroom and my eyes moved to the door. He  walked briskly through the door, glancing at me, then moving back toward  the dresser, where he stopped and opened the top drawer. I noticed he  was in a tuxedo and I wondered, briefly, where he'd gotten ready. Then I  laughed softly because I realized exactly where he'd dressed. I also  noticed he spared not even three seconds to admire me in this dress, in  which I looked fantastic. But just as quickly as his eyes passed over  me, the thought flitted from my mind. I didn't need or want him to  desire me. I wanted out. Unfortunately, I was forced to spend the next  few hours with him.         

     



 

"Are you ready to go?" he asked as he put new cufflinks in.

"Yup," I said, popping the P at the end of the word.

"Great, the town car is outside waiting for you."

I wasted no time walking outside, only stopping to grab my coat. As I  walked down the path to the waiting car, I saw the black Lotus drive  slowly past my house and my heart rate spiked, knowing Preston was  inside the car. The car continued down the road, turning at the corner,  and then disappearing. I took in a sharp breath when I heard the front  door close behind me and heard Derrek's voice.

"Lena, we don't have all night. Let's go." He was being impatient.  Fantastic. I climbed in the car, hoping Preston didn't follow us. I  didn't need this kind of drama tonight. I just wanted to get the event  over with and go home, hopefully without Derrek, and hopefully with  Preston in his car down the road. It was selfish of me, I realized, but I  also didn't care. What I didn't need was Preston making a scene. I  hoped he was smart enough to realize that and keep his distance.

An hour later, we were fully surrounded by Derrek's co-workers and  employees. There were many other people in attendance and occasionally  Derrek would pull me away to meet people he was trying to network with. I  played my part: smiled, nodded, and pretended to be interested in their  conversation. I also withheld from shooting glares at Derrek when his  hand rested on the small of my back, or he leaned over and placed soft  kisses on my neck behind my ear. In the past, these gestures would have  left me swooning, my heartbeat pulsing through my veins, my need for him  building, the anticipation of our night in bed filling my mind.  Instead, I tried not to roll my eyes when he touched me. At one point, I  found myself fantasizing about Preston kicking my door down and rushing  to find me in bed, waiting for him, naked.

I was pulled from my daydream, and caught completely off guard, when  Derrek interrupted me with an introduction that sounded forced and  uncomfortable.

"Ms. Fahey, this is my wife, Lena."

I turned to see the woman I was being introduced to was, in fact, my  husband's mistress. I deserved an academy award for my performance over  the next few minutes. Not only was I able to keep my face from showing  any of the discomfort I was feeling as I eyed the woman sleeping with my  husband, but I managed to ignore the glare she was not as good at  hiding from me. She looked me up and down, obviously sizing up the  competition.

"Lena, this is Jessica Fahey. She's the assistant to the CEO." I smiled  sweetly at her, secretly pleased that I was already winning the ‘Who Can  Keep Their Cool' competition. She was losing, miserably.

"It's so nice to meet you," I said, with a smile. "I love your dress." Her dress was hideous.

She tilted her head to the side and tried to smile, but it came off sort  of like a grimace. "Thanks. Your wedding ring is lovely," she said,  gesturing to my hand.

No way that bitch was gutsy enough to gawk at my wedding ring. She  obviously had no idea I knew who she was, or that she was fucking my  husband. I played right along, though.

"Oh, thanks," I cried, holding my hand out for her to examine the ring.  "It's three carats," I said, sighing, playing up the smitten wife role. I  leaned into her and whispered, "Do you want to try it on? I don't  mind." She pulled back from me like she'd been bitten. Oh, I think I  touched a nerve. She looked as if she tasted something sour and then she  took a stance as if to lunge at me, but Derrek grabbed her elbow and  strode her away from me, saying something about having to discuss a  certain account with her.

As he ushered her away from me, I felt a strange sensation, as if I were  being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my heart  pounded in my chest. My head swiveled to the left, then to the right,  but I saw nothing out of the ordinary. My eyes found Derrek again and I  watched as he tried to calm Jessica down, tried to keep her from causing  a scene. She looked near tears and it was obvious my being there was  distressing to her. Join the club, lady. I couldn't watch my husband  comfort his mistress any longer, so I turned to find the restroom.