Chapter 15 - Marlen
It’s early enough that the sky is still orange with sunrise as I step into my office.
My heart leaps in fright when Simon is sitting in the corner of the sofa by the window.
“Marlen,” he says, standing up.
“Holy shit, man, what are you doing here?” I snap, my heart racing. I walk toward my desk, set my car keys and phone down, then head to the coffee machine to turn it on.
“We need to talk,” Simon says, sounding agitated.
He walks over to me with his hands in his pockets.
“Now? It’s not even five thirty. How long have you been here?” I ask.
“Half an hour, you mentioned yesterday, you were coming in early, so I decided to wait here. I wanted to talk to you in private, before the day got busy,” he says.
“Ok, coffee?”
He shakes his head. “Marlen, this is serious, I… I stopped at your house yesterday,” he says tightly. My heart sinks into my stomach, and I turn away from the coffee machine to look at my brother.
His eyes are stern, his lips set in a tight line.
There’s no point asking him if he happened to bump into her or not. I can see it on his face.
“Right,” I sigh.
“Right,” he sighs too.
“She didn’t tell me she’d seen you,” I mutter, realizing Stef and I had a lovely evening last night, and she had plenty of opportunity to mention it. What does it mean that she kept it a secret?
“Marlen, you kidnapped her and forced her to marry you. What the hell were you thinking, man?” Simon huffs.
“I had a plan, alright. I didn’t want to implicate you in it,” I snap back defensively.
“Does anyone else know?”
“Bardil, but he won’t say anything,” I reply.
The coffee machine stops streaming dark caffeine into my mug, and I pick up the shot of espresso and down it. Damn. It’s too early to deal with this shit.
“Marlen, her family is going crazy looking for her. Our sister has been worried sick. How could you do this?” Simon is pissed off.
“Are you going to tell them?” I groan, pushing my hand through my hair and closing my eyes for a moment.
Simon stands still, contemplating my questions. The silence stretches on for too long, and I start to get anxious.
But finally, he turns to me and shakes his head. “No, I’m not going to tell them, but you’re going to stop holding her prisoner in that house,” he declares.
“What do you mean?” I ask, my eyes narrowed.
“Bring her to tonight’s family dinner. You forced her to marry you. It’s only right you treat her like a wife and not a prisoner.”
“I can’t bring her to the dinner…”
“Yes, you can. And if you don’t… well, I might not be so willing to keep your secrets from Talia anymore.”
My jaw clenches tightly. I know Simon well enough to trust that he won’t put me in danger. But he is a man of high morals, like me, and he will do what he feels is right for everyone. Even if it means pulling Stef away from me.
He doesn’t know what she’s come to mean to me.
“Fine,” I snap. “I’ll bring her.”
Simon’s eyes lock with mine. He stares at me, a silent warning.
“I’ll see both of you later then,” he says, then turns to leave my office.
My heart is beating fast, my head is spinning with thoughts as I stand in my office staring out at the view.
Why didn’t she tell me? A thick vein of betrayal seeps into my chest. I’ve possibly been too trusting lately. My walls have dropped, and my guard is down. Maybe I shouldn’t have allowed her that grace.
All day, I’ve been struggling to concentrate. She’s on my mind. Her smile, her laugh. The fact that she kept a massive secret from me.
By the time I get home in the early afternoon, I’m in a foul mood, but I don’t want her to know. I want to play it cool and see how she acts at the family dinner. I should pay more attention and not be so caught up in her beauty.
“You’re home early,” she smiles, coming over to greet me, slipping her arms around my waist to hug me.
I hug her back, trying not to be stiff and cold.
“I realized that I have a family dinner tonight. Simon reminded me when he popped in at my office today,” I say, studying her face closely, waiting for a reaction.
There is a flicker in her eyes, a nervous twitch, a tight smile.
“A family dinner?” she says.
“Yes, you’re coming with me. Maybe it’s time you met everyone,” I say.
“Are you sure about that? Isn’t it risky?” she asks, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Go get ready. We’re leaving in an hour,” I tell her, nudging her gently toward the stairs.
***
Simon and Stefania and standing near the bar in his living room, laughing.
They’ve been talking for about twenty minutes, and I haven’t been able to tear my eyes off them.
They’re getting on well, like they’ve known each other for years.
I feel like the odd one out, sitting with my drink, waiting for dinner to be ready.
“Hey, Marlen, you’re very quiet tonight,” Simon calls out, gesturing for me to join them.
“I had a long day, but you two seem to be doing just fine without me,” I huff bitterly, then push a smile onto my face to try to hide my jealousy.
Is it jealousy?
I hate the way he makes her laugh so easily.
“Where’s Bardil?” I ask, changing the subject as I join them at the bar.
“Always late,” Simon shrugs. “Dinner will be ready in five, we’ll start without him if he isn’t here,” he shrugs.
“Good, because I’m starving,” I say, stepping close to Stefania’s side and placing my hand on her lower back.
If she has any ideas that she might be able to seduce my brother for her freedom, she’s going to have to think again.
She’s been seducing me, and I’m ashamed to say it was working until now.
But now, she sees another opportunity and has moved on.
Maybe she plans to work her magic on both of us to see which one gets her to her goals quicker.
Anger surges inside me, and I do my best to push it away.
“Where’s the food? I’m ravished!” Bardil asks, loud and obnoxious, walking into the living room.
“You’re late,” Simon grins, walking over to him to say hi.
“I got caught in the traffic. I was … what is she doing here?” he snaps.
“Bardil, I believe you’ve met Stefania,” Simon says, gesturing to her.
“Yes, I fucking met her, what is she doing at our family dinner?” he blurts out.
“I invited her. Is everyone ready to eat?” Simon says.
I lead Stefania toward the dinner table, sitting her down next to me and pulling her chair a little closer. I don’t like the way Simon is friendly with her, but the way Bardil looks at her gives me the chills. I wouldn’t dare leave him alone with her. The hatred practically floods from his glare.
“We’re sharing food with the enemy now?” Bardil mutters, her eyes dragging toward her.
“Mind your mouth,” Simon warns him, protecting her. Why is he so protective of her? Do they have something going on between them? What happened when he saw her at the house today?
I grit my teeth and watch in silence as the dinner continues. Bardil has a few more sharp remarks. Simon continues to treat her like a dear friend. When the night is over, I can’t wait to get out of there, and I practically drag her to the car to leave as fast as possible.
It’s dark as we drive through the city toward home.
Stefania can tell something is wrong. The tension hangs heavily in the air between us, and she keeps glancing at me, nervously twisting her fingers in her lap.
Am I so naive that I was blinded by her pretty little face?
Tricked by that sweet smile? I feel deceived. Betrayed by her and my brother.
“Marlen?” she says my name with caution, reaching out as though she wants to touch my leg.
I can’t keep it in any longer.
“Did you and Simon have a nice afternoon yesterday? A friendly visit? A secret rendezvous?” I snap angrily.
Her mouth drops open, and she stares at me in shock. “He told you?” she asks, a whisper.
“What do you think he told me, Stefania? Was there something specific to tell? Is there something going on between the two of you?”
She narrows her eyes and knits her brows together. “What are you talking about, Marlen?” she asks, confused. “I bumped into him by accident. It wasn’t some planned meeting.”
“And you decided not to tell me about this spontaneous, accidental meet-up?”
“I was trying to figure out how to deal with it,” she replies defensively. “It caught me off guard,”
“What caught you off guard?” I huff, turning the corner a little too sharply.
“His offer, Marlen. Will you please slow down!”
“Offer?” I break, and she gets pushed forward against the safety belt. Instantly, I feel bad, and with my hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel, I pull over to the side of the road.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I mutter, reaching out and adjusting the safety belt for her. She pushes my hand away. “You didn’t hurt me,” she sighs. “But you’re acting like a crazy person.”
“Just tell me what happened with you and Simon. Why are you two so close?”
“We’re not close. He was kind to me, and I appreciated that. He offered…” She sighs heavily. “He offered to take me home if I wanted to go home,” she explains.
“He offered to take you home? When he stopped at my house?” I repeat in shock.
“Yes,” she nods.
“But you’re still…”
“I obviously didn’t take him up on the offer.” She throws her hands in the air, exasperated.
“Why?” I blurt out, confused as hell.
She didn’t even need to seduce the guy. He flat-out just gave her the chance to escape. A free ride to freedom.
“It doesn’t matter!” she shouts, her cheeks glowing red with frustration. “Can we please just go home now? I don’t want to sit on the side of the road arguing,” she huffs.
“No, I want to know why you wouldn’t jump at the opportunity,” I demand.
“Marlen, please, it doesn’t matter. Just leave it alone.”
“It matters to me, Stefania. I need to know,” I say, almost desperate to understand.
Is she still playing me? Is this another trick? No, it can’t be. She had a chance to be free, and she’s still sitting right here with me. Why? I don’t get it!
Stefania wraps her arms protectively around her chest and looks out of the car window into the night. I reach over and pull her face toward me with my hand around her chin. “Talk to me. I don’t get it. You could be at home with your family.”
Stefania bites at her lip, sending a shiver of desire pulsing through me. I drop my hand away and wait, watching her.
One moment, she’s quiet, contemplative; the next, she’s shouting in agitation.
“Because I care about you!” she blurts out, throwing her hands in the air.
“Because I care what happens to you, ok? Is that such a bad thing? I don’t want them to know it was you who took me.
I don’t want my brothers to come after you.
I was worried, and I didn’t know what to do, and I got stressed out, and I didn’t tell you and… ”
I grab her face again, overwhelmed by her confession, and lean across the car to press my lips to hers.
Stefania relaxes immediately. Her body softens, her anger melts away as she reaches up to touch my jaw, returning the kiss with an eager, soft moan. Her lips are sweet and delicate against mine. Her words are still sitting in my mind, playing over again.
My heart beats faster, wanting to pull her onto my lap. I want to wrap my arms around her and be as close to her as possible. But we’re too visible where we’re parked, and home is just around the corner.
I pull away from the kiss with reluctance. Stef reaches up and touches her fingertips to her lips. Her cheeks are glowing pink in the dim light. Her lips are swollen and parted.
“Let’s get you home,” I whisper, pulling out into the road again and heading toward the mansion.
***
Pushing the front door open, I gently usher her inside with my hand on her lower back. My body is still humming from the kiss, anticipating more. Needing it.
The front door clicks closed behind us, and I reach out to pull her into my arms. She leans into me, but there is a softness in her eyes that catches my attention.
A frown plays over my face as I study her expression. “Stef?” I whisper her name.
“Mm,” she replies, quiet and subdued.
“Thank you for what you did. For the choice you made,” I whisper against her lips.
She smiles, soft and sweet, but filled with worry. I realize that in making that choice, in choosing my safety, she also chose to continue to keep her family in the dark. And it’s eating away at her.
Her vulnerability in this moment suddenly breaks me. It reaches into my heart and aches through my chest.
I hold her closer and kiss the top of her head. She holds onto me, tighter than usual, needing this comfort more than I realized.
Reaching down, I lift her into my arms and carry her upstairs to my bed. I help her get undressed and tuck her beneath my blankets, then climb in beside her.
Pulling her close to me, with her back curved against my chest, I hold her. Nothing more. This is what she needs from me tonight. And as much as I would love to do so much more, to gently caress her, kiss her, and lead her to pleasure… this quiet comfort is what she needs.