She stuffed the money in her pocket. "I didn't bring my laptop to help you while I’m here."
"You don't have to start right away. Enjoy the trip." When we were like this, cordial, friendly even, my confidence in this marriage plan grew. But these moments were rare.
"I thought this trip was for us to get our story straight."
I nodded. "We can talk later this evening. Go have fun."
I wished she'd looked happier when she left. Like she was excited about shopping and enjoying her day. Mostly, she looked resigned.
As the door shut behind her, I wondered how we could endure a year like this. We spent more time in conflict than in peace. How was this going to play out over the year? What resentments were going to grow, making it more difficult to pull off a couple living happily ever after?
At this point, I had no choice but to hope that in the coming days and months and the rest of the year, we'd be able to settle into a workable relationship. But for that to happen, I needed to take control of my dick. It needed to surrender to my will, not my libido. It definitely needed to stop surrendering to the power Reyna held over me.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Reyna
I headed out of our suite and toward the lobby of the hotel, continuing to second-guess my decisions over the last month. After having sex on the table with James, I felt like I was on cloud nine. Even after the orgasm was over, my body radiated with the sweetest sensations. And then he'd gone and ruined the moment by being a jerk.
I understood who James was, but knowing that didn't lessen the hurt that he hated having had sex with me. I told myself that it was his problem, but it still was a hit to my ego. When he left the room, a cold chill ran through me. I felt dirty.
I quickly showered and put my bathing suit back on, and after cleaning up the mess we made on the table, I left him a note and went to the beach. While there, I determined that I wasn't going to let him ruin this day or this trip for me. So, I soaked in the sun and went into the water. I hadn't bought a book, so I made a mental list of things I would get while I was here. That included some cooler clothes appropriate for the beach and the Hawaiian weather.
When I returned to the room, I could see that James felt bad about his actions, but then he started offering money and it made me feel dirty again. I hadn't considered that I would feel like a kept woman when I agreed to the deal. I suppose there were women in the world who wouldn't hesitate to take what he was offering—a year of leisure followed by a fortune. But I needed more than that. I needed a purpose. I needed to feel like I was contributing.
I arrived at the lobby and then went to the hotel restaurant and ordered lunch. I asked them to send up a sandwich to James as it didn't appear that he'd planned to have a lunch break.
When I finished eating, I left the hotel. We were in a touristy area of the city, so most of the shops were going to be expensive and trendy. I used my phone to locate shops or boutiques off the main strip. I went into several shops, and by the time I was finished, I had bought three pairs of shorts, five T-shirts, a one-piece swimsuit with a swim cover, and a pretty summer dress.
I came across a kiosk where a woman had a bunch of oysters that she was opening and extracting pearls from. Intrigued, I pointed to one when she asked me to select one.
“You’re lucky. Two pearls. I can make you earrings.” It was probably a tourist trap, but I didn’t care. I was delighted by the idea. And while I might have paid too much, the earrings were lovely.
Next, using my phone, I did a search for a bookstore and then ordered a rideshare to take me there. I spent nearly two hours perusing books on the sights to see in Hawaii and the self-help shelves. I walked out with a tourist guide and a stack of books on finding your purpose, setting goals, and motivation. I wished there'd been one on how to navigate a fake marriage, but if it existed, I couldn’t find it. Maybe by the end of the year, I could write one. That could be my new vocation, Fake Marriage Coach.
When I arrived backto our suite, James wasn't at the table working. I called for him, but he didn't respond. I headed to the sliding door to the terrace to see if he was out there or on the beach when I saw the note from him on the table. It said he had gone to the gym. I rolled my eyes. Only James would go to work out in a stuffy, smelly gym while in an outdoor paradise.
I took my bags to my room and changed into shorts and a tank top. I grabbed a couple of the books I bought and a bottled water and went onto the terrace to start planning the rest of my life.
Twenty minutes later, James came out onto the terrace. He was in shorts and a tank top as well, and my body heated to see so much of his skin, of his muscles. It was a disappointment that I hadn’t been able to explore his body more during our one sexual encounter. I might have been interested in having another one except that I wasn’t interested in having him reject me like I was a leper when it was done again.
He sat in the chair next to me, gulping down a bottle of water. "Did you have fun?"
"Oh, yes. Becoming a rich trophy wife is all that I imagined it would be." I guess I was still smarting from his behavior.
He scowled at me. "Do you think there will ever be a time when we can talk without so much snark between us?"
I hated that I was the bad guy. "Yes, I had fun,” I said, although I wasn’t sure I was successful in not being snarky.
He took the towel that had been draped over his shoulder and wiped the sweat from his face. "Thank you for sending up lunch."
"You're welcome." I almost made a comment about how he would wither away to nothing because clearly, he didn't plan to do anything but work, but I was afraid that would come off snarky too.
"What plans do you have for the rest of the day?"
I shrugged. "I thought I'd read. I also got a book on sights to see around here, so maybe we could plan something fun together." I glanced at him, but he was looking out over the ocean. I suspected it was on purpose because he didn't want to respond to my comment. "Or I can see them alone."
"I have more work I need to do."