28
Jared
Iarrivedat the lunch meeting alone. She and I fought for a good hour because she kept insisting on joining me. But I simply wouldn’t let her. Not when she was in great pain. Gisele had a bad case of cramps. It was a rather severe, to the point that she was hunched, squirming in agony. She couldn’t even go to the bathroom without vehemently hissing and groaning. And even though she’d taken some aspirin, she hadn’t fully recovered yet. So, after ensuring that all the food I had ordered from room service was laid out on the table, I kissed her goodbye. Stubborn as she was, she wouldn’t even muster to look at me, but giving in to her request was out of the question. She could pout and stomp all she liked, but her health always had to comefirst.
So, I left and continued to the meeting with the Kagami brothers. After explaining Gisele’s unfortunate circumstance, they made sure to send her some flowers before we lunched and carried on discussing business. It took about two hours after we finally signed and closedthedeal.
Since it was Saturday afternoon, I had high hopes that Gisele and I would do some sight-seeing while we were here. Although I’d been here so many times in the past, I had never truly experienced the exhilarating city with someone else. But the moment I walked into my suite, the minx ran into my arms before jumping and clinging onto me, wrapping her naked body around mine, implicitly kissing me, explicitly seducing my senses. Fullthrottle.
“I need you inside me,Jared.”
Breaking away from her succulent lips, I peered down and eyed her skeptically. “Kitten, I want you, too, but you’re swollen, not to mention you had this frightful bout of cramps. Maybe I went too deep last night…so we’ll take itslow,okay?”
She blew out a breath. “We’ll just have to be creative. How does a long, hot, sensual bath sound for a start?” Her eyes sparkled as she madly beamed at me, her sole dimple dipping in on the side of her cheek, making me grab her face and kiss hersenselessly.
How could I resist such charm? So, I obliged her. We spent quite a great deal bathing, rubbing, and kissing. Gisele proved to be quite skilled. She actually massaged my neck and shoulders just as well as the dorei from last night while I melted against her chest, groaning with satisfaction. Apparently, she and her mother Edna had gone to a reflexology class, teaching where each important point of the body was and how much pressure to be applied. Her hands were magic, and if I wasn’t already married to her, I’d have proposed right then andthere.
Evidently, her touch became myweakness.
There was a roster of activities I ensured we’d participate and explore in. I ensured other plans. Audrey, my assistant, had emailed me everything. But somehow, each one of those plans got squashed since we could barely manage to get out of bed. One could imagine the gravity of getting us out of the suite. It wasinconceivable.
After waiting twenty-fours of celibacy, we went at it like rabid rabbits. It was nonsensical, pure madness, and I had never felt better. I was breaking my patterns, and although it was quite troubling to say the least, it was also refreshing for a change. It seemed I also needed this—needed her to show me how to feel alive. And since we were pressed for time and scheduled to leave the next day, we knew our time together was drawing to aclose.
After all, the subject of divorce had yet to bediscussed.
The ill-gotten word didn’t come up until we were three hours in the air, traveling across the Pacific on our way home to San Francisco, after we had just experienced another hard, mind-numbing, sweaty session. We were in bed, limbs tangled together. Our breaths had just begun to regulate evenly when Gisele decided to breaktheice.
“I know it might seem tacky to bring this up after we just had sex…but when do you plan on divorcing me? I need a timeframe,Jared.”
Damn it. Damn it alltofuck.
Shifting my body so I could lean against the headboard, I gravely stared at her while my mind drew ablank.
Divorce. Shestillwants a bloodydivorce!!!
“Jared?” her pretty face contorted, rather impatient to hear myresponse.
Groaning frustratingly, I ran a hand through my hair before letting out a heavy sigh. “Must we dothisnow?”
“It’s important to me thatwedo.”
But why?I wanted to yell back but refrained from lashing out. Hadn’t the past days convinced her to simply drop the damn subject of leavingme?Fuck.
“All right,” I gritted out, closing my eyes as I rested my head on the headboard because the thought of looking at her while discussing her freedom made me all sorts of mental. “Tell me what you want and when you intend for it to happen, and I’m warning you, propose something reasonable. Don’t request for next week or the next month because it’s not happeninganytimesoon.”
“One year from ourweddingday.”
CHRIST! She didn’t even take a minute to come up with an answer. She immediately had oneready.
Well…that saiditall.
Japan hadn’t swayed her firm decision. The polar opposite of my mind. So…this whole time, was she simply performing just as I asked? I did state that the better her performance, the higher the chances I’d lessen the years. She had delivered her end of the bargain with flying colors. Evidently, it was my turn to bring my end ofthedeal.
My throat ached. “All right. In eight months’ time, your wish willcometrue.”
“Oh, my God! Thank you, baby!” she flung herself towards me, kissing me fully onthelips.
“Of course, I promised,” I rigidly said as I hastily slipped out of the bed, immediately needing space from her. Without looking back, I strode towards the closet and pulled out a black shirt and matching jeans. Normally, I’d shower after sex, but I needed to think. An impossible feat when she was so closetome.