They finished off their coffees, and Rux thanked both his mother and Gerri as he left the restaurant. They were kind and warm, the way they always were. He breathed in the afternoon air as he walked to his car, noting the light bouncing off the surface of the vehicle.
Rux sped home with exhilaration. He realized then that Dana had been confused by her attraction and sense of fierce desire for him.
Dana must have had to pull back so she could think rationally, think about her dreams, her audition, and everything she had worked so hard for all these years.
It wouldn’t make sense for her to simply allow some guy to smash into her life and trample all over everything she had cultivated so gently. That was what had happened on the terrace, and it was something she didn’t know how to explain to him.
Rux knew what he was going to do as soon as he got home. He made his way into the empty manor, the silence once again deafening him, and sprinted up the stairs to his bedroom. He called her number, knowing she wasn’t going to pick up.
“Hi, this is Dana’s phone,” the message box sang out. “You know what to do!”
The screeching beeping sound made Rux lose his cool. But he closed his eyes and told himself what Gerri had said to him and imprinted it onto his soul.
Just because it's going to be hard doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing.
“Hi, Dana,” Rux began slowly. “I know I’ve left you a lot of messages, and I’m sorry that I overwhelmed you like that. I wanted to let you know that I realize that you have the audition soon and that you don’t want anything that’s happened between us to ruin that. I accept that, but I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
Rux paused, forcing himself to take a breath.
“I will be patient for you. You’re worth it. You can call me months from now, and I’ll be here. If you want me to be, of course. Whatever it takes for you to be ready.”
I’ve never wanted anything so badly. My body is in a constant blaze.
Rux wanted to spill his heart into the message, but he figured that was enough for the time being.
“Goodnight, Dana.”
Rux hung up the phone and placed it on the bedside table. He crossed his arms and fell back onto the bed, staring up into the dark, blank ceiling.
He let himself wonder what she was doing. He had learned from Gerri that Dana played the cello along with an assortment of other instruments that she had informed him about, and he wondered which she was going to audition with.
He imagined her in the dark, playing her most beloved piece, closing her eyes with a sensual strum. It was an evocative image, stirring the fire in his belly and groin once more. A woman with such passion like that for the arts was sure to have passion in other aspects of her life.
Like an insatiable appetite in bed.
Rux felt his manhood harden, and he pulled at it, telling himself to calm down and take it easy. He picked up his phone to distract himself and realized that he had a message from his assistant. He held it to his ear and listened as he began to doze off.
“Hi, Rux. I wanted to let you know that Griffin Malone was asking for an RSVP for that private island party I told you about. I know that you’re not nuts about it, but it might look good for you to show your face, especially if there’s a lady on your arm.”
Rux ended the message, then sighed to himself. He didn’t care about parties in general, ever, but the possibility of having Dana by his side excited him. He RSVP’d through his email and figured that he could attend on his own if he didn’t hear from Dana.
The way he always had.
Rux stripped off his clothing and decided to have a luxurious bath. It was a massive tub, probably could have fit him plus two more men his size. But he wanted to have Dana in that bath with him. He wanted to give her a massage and reassure her that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Rux shook the thought from his mind as he dipped his toes into the warm water. He settled himself in, his muscles finally relaxing, then leaned his head back to close his eyes.
Rux saw his father again, telling him and Nyssa the story of how he met their mother. So jubilant and enticed, he had still been with her, even after all those years of marriage and two children to raise.
It was his father who he wanted to talk to the most about Dana. He wanted to rant about her every glorious feature, ranging from her musical talent and knowledge to her rocking body. He imagined his father nodding in agreement, telling him to be bold, try, and dare.
Rux sat in the tub for an hour, images of Dana and his father and his family dancing around in the fortress of his mind while a single silent tear ran down his cheek.