Chapter Three
Cami stepped out of Roman's office into the bright San Francisco sunshine, and drew in a huge breath of salty sea air, letting it out of her lungs slowly. She'd been worried about their meeting, wondering what he would think, what he would say, what it would be like after so much time had passed. But it was over and she felt enormously relieved.
Every worry that had plagued her fell away from her body as she breathed out. It had been a tumultuous year. She had met him and liked him on the yacht, but then their new friendship had caught fire so quickly; maybe, it was his lonely heart, maybe it was his beautiful physique, and maybe it was his tender and respectful manner. Maybe it was all of them; she didn't know, but whatever it was, it had turned her world upside down and one sweet moment led to a few hot kisses and the next thing she knew, her weekend fling had changed her life.
It had been two months after her long weekend with him that she had noticed a change in her body. At first, she had shrugged it off as nothing in particular; she thought she'd gotten a bug of some kind, perhaps food poisoning. It could be that she was working too much and not sleeping enough, not eating right and wearing herself thin by trying to do too much.
Then, in the third month, she knew there was something very different, and she had missed enough periods that the nagging little voice in the back of her head told her she had better get checked out because maybe... just maybe? Lo and behold, her worst suspicion had been correct. The thing she kept denying and laughing off; oh no... she told herself... I'm not.... I couldn't possibly be... and then, she was.
Camille cried for four solid days before coming to terms with the fact that she would be bringing a new life into the world. She blamed all her tears on the hormones. Then she thought of Roman, something she’d tried to stop herself from doing several times; every time he came into her mind, as a matter of fact, and he slipped into her thoughts frequently. The look in his eyes, his smile, the smell and feel of his skin, the taste of his burning kiss... and then she would shake her head and try to clear her thoughts of him.
He was married, she would tell herself. It was a one-time fling, she would say. It wasn't anything more than one hot night, so don't lose yourself in him, just cherish the delish memory and let it go. But he had stuck in her, like a tiny thorn that had just barely pierced the exterior of her heart. Little by little, he had worked his way into it, until her heart was sore thinking about him.
She hated that. She knew he should have no place in there at all; and then he had a place much deeper in her. He had a place in her belly where their tiny baby was growing, and when she discovered that secret, nothing in the world could keep him from her mind or her heart any longer.
After she had stopped crying, Cami had wondered whether or not to tell him. At first she was afraid; he was married, he might not remember her, he might not ever want to see her again, he might be angry. A thousand and one thoughts went through her mind. She was alone in chaos, and then as time passed, her fears changed. She still wondered if he should know, but she also wondered how she would manage taking care of a child on her own and still be able to do her art.
She had a good patronage and following, but she would have to have time to paint and sculpt still, time to create and draw inspiration from her muses, and she didn't think she could raise a child on her own and do that.
Cami was lucky; she wasn't totally alone, her mother was willing to help her, but she lived in Seattle, and wouldn't be moving. Cami would have to relocate to Seattle to get help from her mom. Moving to Seattle wasn't an option for her. She had gone through the pregnancy alone until the last month when her mother came to help her for a few weeks. It had been good to have the time with her, and Cami was grateful for the help after her daughter had been born.
Cami's mama, Cicely, had asked whether the father would be in the picture, and Cami hadn't known what to tell her, so she had said no, and left it at that. Cami's mama hadn't asked anything else. There was nothing else to ask.
When Emma was three weeks old, Cicely went back to Seattle and Cami was left with her daughter, facing life as a single mother. The prospects had been challenging, but the thing that really changed her mind about finding Roman was when Emma’s infant eyes settled into their soft brown color. Cami couldn't look at her without seeing Roman, and she knew that she had to tell him. She couldn't let Emma wonder about her father all of her life. Roman was a good man; a truly good man, and Cami had taken a leap of faith in putting all of her hope in a dream.
She wouldn't move to Seattle, but she knew that San Francisco was a place that she could live happily and succeed as an artist. Some of her patrons lived there, and she wouldn't be starting from zero with them. There were galleries there that already showed some of her art, so it would be an easier transition than being in Seattle. What she knew was that she couldn't raise Emma alone, she knew Emma needed to have a chance at knowing both of her parents, and she knew that Roman deserved to at least know about her, so she gathered up all of her courage and took the trip to San Francisco to see what Roman would say.
He wasn't hard to find. Roman Bruce was a well-known name among sea faring companies in San Francisco, and his office was right near his marina. She thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest the day she walked in and asked for him. The secretary had been nice to her, and hadn't acted like she didn't belong there.
She didn't know how it would go with him, but she knew she had to give it a shot and see. When the door opened and her eyes found him, her heart had gone straight up into her throat and stopped her in her tracks, but with Emma sleeping in her stroller in front of her, she kept her mission at the forefront of her mind, took a deep breath and walked over the threshold.
It hadn't helped that he'd been nude from the waist up. His gorgeous body had been a huge distraction and the reminder that he was married became a mantra while she was in the office with him and he got so close to her. She kept repeating it to herself over and over... he's married, he's married... oh God he's so close and he smells so good... and he's married... he is married.
She'd managed somehow to keep all of that inside her and remind him that they were parents of a child and that they should have a platonic relationship. All the while, her body betrayed her, warming up just being around him; her heart palpitating, her breath a little short. He's married.
She focused on Emma, and that had done the trick for her. Remembering that the only reason she was there, and the only reason the two of them should ever have anything to do with each other ever again, was Emma. That had put things into perspective for her faster than anything else had, and it helped keep her heated thoughts of him at bay.
Cami was sure, now that she was outside in the cooler bay air, that given time and a bit of practice, she would be able to be around him without feeling like she had while she was in his office. They had parted almost immediately after an intense intimacy, and that was how it had been left. She thought that maybe with time, they could learn a deeper friendship and make being around each other much simpler.
She’d decided right away that she liked Janine. The older woman made her feel at ease, and she had been amazed that there was no judgment on Janine's part; she'd been totally accepting of Cami, and even welcoming to her. Janine made her feel as though she had an ally.
Roman made her feel like she wasn't going to have to do anything alone, and he would support her through all of it. It was like the worry and weight of the year leading up to that moment had vanished, like the fog that burned off in the morning sunshine of her new city.
Cami put Emma into the car and drove back to the hotel. Janine told her she would get to work immediately on finding her a place and hiring a moving truck to bring her belongings up to San Francisco from Los Angeles. It was wonderful to Cami that she now had so much help. She decided to call her mama and tell her all the good news, and finally, the truth about Emma.
She called her on the hands-free phone in the car, and Cicely picked up on the third ring.
"Hello? Cami?"
"Hi Mama, are you busy?" she asked, both excited and a little nervous.
"No, I'm not busy. Are you driving? Are you calling me while you're behind the wheel of a car?" Cicely asked in a warning voice.
Cami bit her lip. "You're on hands-free, Mama. You know I'd never have my phone in my hands while I'm behind the wheel. Especially with Emma in the car."
Her mother harrumphed disapprovingly. "You know I don't like it when you drive and talk on the phone, whether it's in your hand or not."
"I know, Mama, but I have some big news and I want to share it with you." Cami could feel the excitement bubbling up inside her.
Cicely hummed curiously. "What's going on, baby girl?"
Cami couldn't hold back the grin on her face. "Well, I'm moving to San Francisco," she said. It was one shoe dropping. She'd have to wait a moment to drop the other shoe.
Her Mama was shocked. "What? Do you want to tell me what that's all about?"
“Well, I have a good client base up here and uh... um... this is where Emma's daddy lives. I thought maybe he ought to be part of her life, and I could use the help." She dropped the other shoe and her Mama dropped the phone on her floor.
There was a loud scuffling noise on the line as her mother bent to pick the phone up and bring it back to her ear. "What did you just say to me?"
Cami's voice lowered some. "I said this is where Emma's daddy lives."
"I knew you knew who it was. What changed your mind?" Her Mama never missed anything. Silence, in her case, almost never meant ignorance.
"Well, Mama, it's like I said, I need the help, I have a client base here, I like San Francisco, and I really think he ought to be part of her life and help me raise her, you know, be there for it, and he wants to be." Cami was immeasurably glad for that fact.
Her Mama was taking it without surprise now. "Mmmmhmmmm," she hummed. "So are you moving in with her daddy now? You two are going to raise her together as a couple?"
Cami knew that this would come. She wasn't looking forward to it. "No, Mama."
"No? Why not? He wants to be part of that baby's life, doesn't he?" her mother replied in consternation.
Cami sighed. "Yes, he wants to be a big part of it; he wants to do everything with her, but we can't live together. We're raising her in two different houses."
"Well, why not? Don't you care about him? Does he care about you?" Mama asked in a softer tone.
Another sigh. "It's not that, Mama."
"Well what is it? It doesn't sound so complicated to me," Mama said simply.
"He's married,” Cami said quietly.
There was a deafening silence on the other end of the line for nearly a full minute. She could feel the heat radiating through her phone. She waited as long as she could, and then she had to speak up.
"Mama?" she almost whispered.
"Was he married when you two made that baby?" Mama asked, in a low tone.
"Yes, ma'am." Cami spoke quietly again.
There was the briefest of silences, and then Mama was not quiet any longer. "What in the world are you doing, having sex with a married man? What in God's name has gotten into your head, young lady? Did I raise you to act like that? You know better than that!
“What kind of a world have you brought that little girl into? What kind of a future is she going to have now? I can't believe you did that. My own daughter, having an affair with a married man! What is in your head, young lady?" she demanded.
Cami let out a huge breath of air. The worst was over. She had admitted it and Mama had gone through her rant and had finally stopped to listen. There would be more ranting, but the hottest burn of it was over.
"I knew he was married, and it's no excuse, but his wife is a real piece of work and it just kind of happened. We really liked each other, and one night it just... uh... happened. Now he knows about Emma and he wants to take full responsibility for both of us. He is going to take care of all of our expenses; he's getting us a nice place to live, a car, and he's putting Emma on his insurance and paying me a huge amount of child support.
“Mama he's paying me so much that I wouldn't have to work if I don't want to, but I do want to... so I'll still make my art, but, Mama, we're doing so good now that I won't have anything to worry about. It's like I have a good friend to help me through it all." Cami felt good saying all of it out loud, as though his support, responsibility and generosity had offered some semblance of redemption for them falling into each other's arms.
Mama's voice was still loud and higher pitched. "Friends? He's putting you up and doing all of that for you and you think he's just going to be friends with you? Girl, you better wake up and smell the coffee. He's going to want a lot more from you than that. He's looking for a mistress, and my baby girl- both my baby girls, are better than that.
“Don't you dare take him up on any of that nonsense! You take care of yourself and be your own woman; you be independent. I don't want you being some man-whore's kept woman. Don't you dare! That is not the kind of girl I raised!" Mama was starting to rant again.
Cami shook her head. "No Mama, it's really not like that. I promise you, and if it was, I wouldn't do it, because you're right, you didn't raise me like that. Aside from the glaring fact that I have a child with a married man, it's the only time it ever happened and neither of us wants it to happen again. He just wants to step up to his responsibility and he's pretty well off financially, so in his eyes, he isn't buying me, he's just taking care of a situation that he created and feels completely responsible for."
Mama was quiet for a short minute, and then she spoke in a softer voice. "What's his wife like? Does she know about you and Emma?"
"No, Mama, I don't think she knows, and I think we're going to try to keep it that way for now. Maybe someday she will know. I mean, at some point she's bound to find out, don't you think? Who could keep their own child a secret from their family?" Cami hadn't really thought about that aspect of it, but now that she was talking to her Mama about it, she realized that Denise was going to be a step-mother to her daughter, and that put their situation in a whole new light for her.
Mama seemed to think the exact same thing. "Well, when she does find out, you better keep an eye on her. She better be good to my little grandbaby or I'll put the fear of God into her."
Cami laughed a little. "I know, Mama, we both feel that way. You and I are on the same page about that. Listen, I just wanted to let you know what's going on here; you know, that we're moving and why... and to let you know that everything is going to be okay and you don't have to worry about me doing any of this on my own. Everything is going to be okay, and I'm really happy, Mama, I'm not scared or worried anymore."
She could hear her Mama smile through the phone. "Alright, well, I don't like what you told me, but it seems like it's all done now, so we'll look toward the future and we'll take it a bit at a time. That's the only way to do it, and you know that. Day at a time."
"Yes ma'am," Cami answered her. "I love you Mama,” she said gratefully.
"I love you too, baby girl. You kiss Emma for me and tell her I miss her," Mama said with a smile. She knew Mama must be looking at one of her photos of Emma just then, as her voice got a little high and she sort of cooed.
"I will." She hung up and pulled Emma from the car, heading in to their hotel with a glance around her new city. Things were going to be alright finally, and nothing felt better than that.
***
Roman went home that afternoon with his head and his heart totally focused on the new change in his life. He had a daughter; a beautiful baby girl, and he was never going to be the same again. It seemed like nothing could bring him down, until he walked into the kitchen at home and was surprised to see his mother-in-law sitting at the kitchen table with his wife.
"Uh... Agnes! How... how are you doing?" he asked, trying not to stumble over the words he spoke.
She turned her face to him and narrowed her eyes. "I'd be a hell of a lot better if I wasn't sitting here looking at your rotten face," she snapped at him.
Denise stood up and walked toward the wine cooler, pulled out a bottle of wine and started to decant it. "Mother is going to live with us now. She needed a good place to go, so I told her she could live here! Isn't that wonderful?" Denise giggled, grinning and bouncing as she spoke.
Roman stared at Denise. "I don't know what to say," he said in a quiet tone, but then blinked and turned to look at Agnes who was swilling a tumbler of whiskey.
"Uh... welcome, Agnes. Welcome home. It will be nice to have you here. I'm sure Denise will appreciate your... company." He felt like a rug had been ripped out from under his feet and he'd landed on his back hard enough that the wind was knocked out of him.
He looked at his wife. "Denise, may I please talk with you in the other room?" he asked delicately, with a serious undertone.
She turned and leveled her eyes at him. "Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Mother. We have no secrets."
Roman looked from Agnes to Denise, and then shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. I think it would have been helpful if you could have mentioned this to me before it changed. Of course, Agnes is welcome here, but you should have talked with me about this first. You could have at least... mentioned it."
Denise gave him a nasty look. "Why would I do that? This is my house too, and if she's welcome, then why would we need to talk about it? She is my mother, and if my mother wants to be here with me, then she's going to be here with me. It has nothing at all to do with you."
Roman pursed his lips. "Thanks for being thoughtful." He looked at Agnes and smiled as best he could. "Agnes, if there's anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let me know." He nodded and turned to walk out of the kitchen when Agnes stopped him.
"Yeah, there are some things you could do to make this dump more comfortable!" She pulled a cigarette from her little painted leather cigarette case, snapped it shut, and lit her cigarette up, blowing smoke all over the kitchen.
"You don't have any ashtrays around here. I had to use whatever I can find, and I got stuck using this crappy bowl." She nudged a beautiful blue and green hand-blown glass bowl by Dale Chihuly, and then ashed her cigarette in it. There was a thick pile of dead cigarette butts in the bowl.
Roman closed his eyes for a moment and tried to still the clenching of his stomach. He took a deep breath and looked steadily at her. "That is a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork worth over fifteen thousand dollars. It was created especially for me, and signed by the artist. It's not an ashtray."
"You think this ugly thing is artwork? Why am I not surprised,” she said with a nasty sneer. "Well, it's crap, but at least now it's practical, useful crap." She blew cigarette smoke at him and ashed in it again. "Another thing; what the hell is that thing you have me sleeping on up in my room? You are supposed to be so successful; can't you even afford to buy a decent mattress? That thing is hard as a rock! I want a new bed!"
Denise piped up and rested her hand on her mother's arm. "Don't you worry about it, Mother, we'll have a decorator come in and redesign your room, and you and I can go shopping and buy any bed you want. I'll take care of you, and Roman can pay for it." She turned and narrowed her eyes at him again meaningfully.
"Well thank heaven someone around here knows how to treat a guest. I must have raised you right, Denise. I just wish I'd have raised you with enough sense to marry a good man, because you sure got the short end of the stick with this one,” Agnes snapped.
Roman bit his tongue, walked over to the cupboard and pulled a cereal bowl out of it, then walked over to the table and yanked the Chihuly glass from where it sat before Agnes. He turned the Chihuly upside down and emptied it into the cereal bowl, and then he pushed the cereal bowl in front of the older woman and looked at her meaningfully.
"While you're out shopping, kindly pick up your own set of ashtrays. I'll be more than happy to buy them for you." He turned on his heel and walked out of the room with the Chihuly bowl still in his hand. It took him the better part of an hour, but he finally got it clean and smelling like it had never known burnt tobacco.
He placed it up in his room on the third floor of his home; a room that only he ever saw the inside of, since his wife slept in her own room.
After it was safely tucked away, he wandered through the house, looking for anything else he might want to protect, and wondering miserably how long she would be living with them.
He ate dinner alone in the breakfast nook, which he usually did, unless Denise happened to want his company, which was rare. One of the good things about Agnes was that she went to bed early every night. One of the challenges about her was that she was up before dawn every morning and prowling about the house, bored and looking for things to get into. There was no way to escape her in the morning, and starting the day with her was a difficult thing for him to do.
Roman was grateful that he had put Denise on a specific allowance each month so that she wouldn't bankrupt him. He had learned early on that it was best to curtail her spending ability, and now with her mother in the house, he knew that would be even more important.
He also wondered, when he looked at Agnes, if he was looking at a version of what his wife would be like in thirty years. Denise had smoked when she was younger, but the day she saw her first wrinkle, she put the cigarettes down and hadn't touched them again; not for the sake of health, no, but rather for the sake of vanity.
Roman went up to his room later that night and lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering about the profound changes in his life. He had wanted children when he was a younger man thinking about his future, but the idea of starting a family hadn't been at the forefront of his mind when he married Denise. Then after he had been married to her for a while and their relationship changed so much, he knew without a doubt that he didn't want to have children with her.
The thoughts he had once had about having children fell away in the face of a cold and hollow marriage and a thriving business.
Having a child became one of those things that fell into the life category of “I was going to do that, but it just didn't happen.” Well, now it had happened.
Unexpectedly, of course, but his heart welcomed it. He had been blown away by the discovery that he was a father, and the knowledge of it warmed his heart and gave him a happiness he had not ever known before. He felt more whole than he had in all the years of living in an empty and meaningless marriage. He felt as though somehow his life had suddenly blossomed and developed deep meaning; he had something to look forward to and someone to love.
Roman wondered how he would be able to explain to Denise how he had a child outside of their marriage, and what she would say to him. She was going to be Emma's step-mother, although she didn't know it yet. The thought of Denise as a step-mother contorted Roman's face with a look of doubt. She wasn't really cut out to be a mother, and he suspected that she may not be an ideal step-mother, either. He hoped that she would somehow be able to understand what had happened and accept Emma, because he wanted Emma in every facet of his life, including his home. Denise would have to make a choice, because in his heart of hearts, he knew that Emma was the one person who came before everyone else in his life now, and he loved it.
His thoughts strayed to Agnes as he tried to picture her involvement with Emma, and his brain wouldn't let him think of her that way. Instead, he shook his head and told himself that it would be better if Agnes weren't involved with Emma at all.
He caught himself chuckling at Janine, who had been so utterly delighted with Cami and Emma. He was grateful that she hadn't been judgmental at all, but rather welcoming and kind to Cami and Emma, and she'd taken to the baby right away. He hoped that somehow all of it would work out. It was that hope that he held to as he fell asleep alone that night.
The next day dawned with a grey fog filling the air and hanging thick and full on everything it silently covered. It gave a mysterious and cloaked feel to the house and grounds. Roman was sitting in the kitchen, enjoying it, when Denise walked in and poured herself a cup of coffee.
She seemed to be bubbling with happiness as she prepared herself something to eat. He looked up at her and wondered if it was the right moment to tell her about Emma. He knew it would be hard, no matter when he told her, but he thought that perhaps if he told her when she was in a good mood, it would settle better than if she was in a foul temper.
She sat at the table with him, and he smiled at her.
"Good morning. You're looking lovely today," he began in a friendly tone.
Denise flashed him a grin and shrugged her shoulders. "Good! It's such an important day. I really want everything to go just right today. It feels like everything will go right, you know, and that's good, because if anything goes wrong, I'll lose it."
Roman nodded his head and sipped his coffee. He knew it wasn't the right time to tell her. "Are you ready for the party tonight?" he asked. It seemed like it had been much more than a week since she had said she was hosting the big bash for the Senator and his wife aboard the yacht that Captain Heatherwick and been keeping in the marina.
"Everything is ready, except for this damn weather. It's supposed to be nice today, and just look at all that fog. I'll be furious if it ruins the party." She glared out the window into the misty morning.
Roman took a deep breath and sighed. "It'll burn off. The party isn't until tonight, so don't worry about it."
She finished her coffee and leveled her gaze at him. "Are you ready for the party? Do you have your suit?" she asked him in a warning tone.
"I have it. I'll be there tonight," he said pleasantly.
"Good. Everything has to be perfect. I absolutely have to make a good impression on Senator Johnson and Carmen." She stood up and took her coffee mug to the dishwasher. "My mother is really looking forward to tonight,” she said, turning and looking over her shoulder at him. "Don't ruin it for her. Be decent to her tonight."
Roman closed his eyes and drew breath into his lungs slowly, willing himself to keep calm. He didn't respond to her, he only released the air from his body gradually, focusing on it rather than on Denise.
She walked from the kitchen, having made an ordinance and not a request.
He heard the door shut and looked out of the window, appreciating the morning fog a bit more than he had before she walked into the kitchen.
Roman and Captain Jonathon Heatherwick spent the afternoon on the yacht, and Roman had to admit that it was a beautiful boat, and one he did not regret purchasing to sell to the Senator, if the Senator wanted it.
They talked and laughed over old times until Denise showed up and Jonathon looked visibly annoyed with her. He closed himself up on the bridge and Roman joined him in a bid to remove themselves from Denise's presence as she readied for the party.
She didn't really love sailing or being on boats so much, it was all about the prestige for her, and showing off to others. She had no interest at all in the bridge and so it was there that the two men stayed until the guests started arriving in the early evening, and then Roman bid goodbye to Jonathon with a smile and a clap on the shoulder.
"Come out for food and drinks whenever you're ready. In another half an hour there will be a good number of people here that you would enjoy spending some time with,” he said to Jonathon as he closed the bridge door behind him. Jonathon saluted him, and Roman headed to the deck to meet their guests.
Denise was flitting around talking to people, all smiles, hugs, and air kisses almost brushed upon cheeks. She was dressed in a bright red skin-tight dress and stiletto heels. Her red hair was curled and piled around the back of her head almost in a mane. Her makeup and perfume were thick, and she was hung about with chunky jewelry in her efforts to look the part of what she thought was abundance, because in her mind, abundance equaled quality, value, and worth.
Roman greeted guests separately from her as much as he could, although she would occasionally drag him over to introduce him to people she felt he just had to meet. He was glad to meet all of them, but he wished he wasn't presented in the light that she showed him; that of a wealthy tycoon, rather than just as himself. He could see that very few people were impressed with her gushing and posturing. He faded back away from her and mingled with people every time she turned her head away from him.
The Senator and his wife, Carmen, showed up right on time, and Denise saw them coming, so she rushed over and pulled Roman's arm to greet them as they came aboard.
He reached out his hand and shook Senator Johnson's hand, as well as Carmen's, welcoming them warmly.
"Good evening, Edward and Carmen! It's wonderful to have you here tonight as our guests of honor. Thank you so much for coming!" Roman said as he handed them each a flute of champagne. Denise slid her hand through Carmen's arm and stood close to her.
"There's tons of champagne and the very best seafood in all of the bay area. You won't believe it. Oh! My mother is here, too, and she wants to meet you. So, after we take you on a tour of the boat, I'll introduce you to her!" Denise practically squealed with excitement.
Agnes was indeed at the party, and hadn't talked to many people. She was instead parked at the bar at the far end of the deck, drinking and chain smoking. Roman had managed to avoid her completely, and he hoped to make it through the night without having to talk to her at all.
Senator Johnson looked around the deck and shook his head. "This is really a beautiful boat. I am anxious to have a look at her, is it too soon to ask for a tour?" he smiled hopefully at Roman, and Roman nodded.
"Certainly!" He waved at Allen, who was navigating the buffet table, and Allen almost dropped his plate when he saw that Roman was standing beside their guests of honor. He wiped his hands and rushed over to them.
"Hello! Senator, it's so nice to have you here!" he said with a wide grin on his face.
The Senator extended his hand. "Allen, so good to meet you in person. Please, call me Edward, and this is my wife, Carmen. We've talked on the phone enough that I feel I already know you!" They shook hands and Allen looked like he had just won the best prize at the carnival.
Roman indicated the highest point of the boat. "Why don't we start at the bridge, and you can meet Captain Heatherwick. We'll work our way down from there." With a smile, he turned to lead them all up the two flights of stairs that it took to get to the bridge.
Jonathon Heatherwick and the Senator hit it off right away. Edward was thrilled to see the bridge, looking at it as the best gift one could receive on Christmas morning.
"Command Central!" he exclaimed happily. Carmen watched him with a pleasant smile, obviously glad to see that her husband was immersed in something he passionately enjoyed.
Jonathon and Edward began talking about sailing, which quickly led to the topic of the military and they discovered they had served on the same ships at different times for the US Navy. That sealed their bond, and during the entire rest of the tour, and indeed the night, they were elbow to elbow talking about a great many things.
Senator Johnson and his wife both loved the boat, and by the time the evening was going full swing, Roman and Allen felt sure that he would probably buy it, as long as Denise didn't manage to further irritate Carmen. Her constant attention and fussing over the Senator's wife had made Carmen excuse herself more than once, just to get away from Denise, and Roman had to pull Denise aside to talk to her.
They stood a few feet from their group and he looked at her seriously.
"Denise, you are annoying Carmen, and I can't believe that you don't realize it. I know that you're excited that they're here, but you have got to back off! It may have escaped your attention, but there are several other guests of ours on this boat, and as a good hostess, you should be paying attention to all of them!" He was quiet and kind, but in serious earnestness.
She glowered at him. "Don't you tell me anything about it! You and Captain Featherpants haven't left Edward's side for a single minute! How am I supposed to become best friends with Carmen if you send me away from her? These are the most important people on this boat, and I'm not about to leave them alone just to go talk to everyone else!"
Roman exhaled in frustration. "Denise, if you wanted to spend all of your time with Edward and Carmen, you should have arranged a private dinner for them here, not a full blown party like this."
She grew angry with him, and only barely managed to keep it in check. "Roman! You just don't understand society! It's no good to have them here for a private dinner because then no one else can see how close we are to them! The whole point of the party is so that all of these people can see us with Edward and Carmen and then they will all know how important we are!" She was incredulous that he could possibly be so thick as to have missed that obvious maneuver.
Roman shook his head and looked away from her. "Don't ignore your other guests, and stop annoying Carmen. You're going too far overboard with her. Please keep it to a minimum."
Denise breathed out in a rush of exasperation and headed straight back to Carmen, who saw her coming and moved between Allen and Edward to try to avoid her. Denise was not going to be dissuaded so easily, and she pulled on Carmen's arm and insisted that she go to the bar with her to meet Agnes.
Allen looked after them as Denise tottered down the deck in her high heels, dragging the Senator's wife behind her by the arm. His face was white with panic and fear, and Roman was grateful that Edward was too involved in his conversation with Jonathon to see what was going on.
Five minutes passed and Carmen came walking swiftly back down the deck toward Edward and the group. Roman saw the look on her face and his stomach tightened. He exchanged silent glances with Allen and they both desperately hoped that Denise had not ruined the evening for them.
"Edward," Carmen said when there was a momentary pause at her arrival, "we need to leave." She looked at him with deadly serious eyes.
Edward saw the look on his wife's face and sighed, smiling at Roman, Allen, and especially Jonathon, and he shrugged his shoulders. "I am sorry to go, but it would seem that the clock is striking midnight somehow. It's been a delightful party, and a great visit.
“Roman, Allen, thank you so much for hosting this for us. I'll give the boat some serious consideration and let you know what I want to do. Captain Heatherwick, Jonathon, please come visit me anytime, and I may sneak down here before too long to spend a little more time talking with you!"
They all shook hands, the Senator and his wife left just as Denise was hurrying toward them, but she wasn't fast enough, and they left before she could get to them. She stopped beside Roman and Allen, and pouted ferociously.
"I can't believe she left without saying goodbye!" Denise whined. The men turned to look at her, all of them with scarcely hidden distaste.
"I can't believe you left her side for a single minute," Roman said, almost under his breath to her while the other two men walked away.
Denise watched them leaving and frowned. "Well, Carmen said she thought I sat in something, because there was a stain on the back of my dress and she just knew everyone would notice it. She said I should go to the restroom to see if I could wash it off. I looked and looked and couldn't find anything, and by the time I gave up on it and came back out here, they were gone!"
Roman hid a chuckle behind his champagne glass as he lifted it to his mouth for another drink, realizing that Carmen had only said it to escape Denise, and Denise just didn't understand that at all.
"Perhaps you could attend to your other guests now. Look, isn't that your friend Amanda over there looking at us? Why don't you go talk to her?" He turned and grabbed a bottle of champagne, and then headed downstairs to the belly of the boat to the Master Stateroom. It encompassed a large area, almost from the middle of the boat, to the outside edge of it, and was nothing short of regal.
He needed to get away from the crowd upstairs. It was becoming loud and boisterous, and he had no interest in it. He didn't know many of the people, and he wasn't in the mood for Denise's efforts to outshine everyone and be adored by all of them.
He settled himself on the bed and began drinking champagne right from the bottle, foregoing the crystal flute he left sitting on the bedside table. It had been a night of success, he felt, showing the boat to Edward and Carmen. They seemed to love it, although he could see that they, like him, were quietly reserved people when it came to shiny expensive things being shown to them.
They withheld their truest thoughts on all of it, but enjoyed looking at it. He felt that as long as Denise left them alone, there was a good chance that the couple would buy the boat.
He chuckled to himself over the rapport between Jonathon and Edward. It was a stroke of luck that they hit it off as well as they had. He hoped that their shared love of the sea and their service to their country would be enough of a sway that the sale would go through. More than that, he was genuinely pleased to see the two men becoming friends. They had a lot in common, and it's always good to have a deep connection with others like that.
Roman finished off the bottle and closed his eyes, letting all the bubbles go to his head. He knew it couldn't have been long, but he wasn't sure of the time when he heard a soft noise and opened his eyes, looking around. He was shocked to see Denise's friend Amanda standing beside the bed in nothing but some miniscule underwear. Her body was bare and her smile was wide as she crawled onto the bed and straddled Roman.
"I saw you come down here and thought you would want some company,” she purred, leaning down toward him. He stared up at her in shock. She had dark brown curly hair and blue eyes. Her skin was olive toned and her body was extremely fit. She bent down to him and grasped his hands, pulling them to her small breasts, covering the soft curves and hard nipples, as she planted her mouth firmly over his.
He was stunned for a moment as she kissed him passionately, amazed that his hands were placed over her breasts, and that she was astride him. He turned his head away from hers, pulling from her kiss and gasped, "What are you doing?"
She began to gyrate her hips over his, slipping her hand down to massage his crotch. "I'm just here to have a little fun with you, Roman. I've wanted you for a long time, and here we are, sneaking away from a boring party, and there's this bedroom right here... handy, isn't it?" She grinned at him and tried to kiss him again as he pulled his hands from her breasts and tried to reach for her hand which was working hard to stimulate him.
"You can't do this! Get off of me!" he snapped at her, his shock turning to frustration.
She unzipped his pants and curled her fingers around his body, manipulating it to make him hard. "Sure we can! It's okay. I know you and Denise have an open relationship. She certainly makes good use of that, so there's no reason that you shouldn't as well." Her eyes grew wide and she tried to kiss him again as he angled his hand to pull hers from his crotch.
Her words stopped him short and he looked at her in horror. "We do not have an open relationship!" he spoke, aghast.
She laughed at him and planted her mouth on his once more, kissing him hard as she stroked him and her eyes grew wide. "Roman! You're huge!" she grinned, wrapping her arm behind his neck and holding herself close to him.
He'd had enough. He pushed hard and rolled her off him, but her legs and arm were wrapped tight around him, and she wound up underneath him, clinging to him.
"Amanda," he raised his voice as he tried to pull away from her, "we do not have an open marriage, and I am not interested in sleeping with you! Now let go!" He pushed himself away from her again and she reluctantly let go, but then climbed up on her knees and reached out to him as he climbed off of the bed.
"Come on, Roman, just because you don't know you have an open marriage doesn't mean it isn't that way. She's screwing around, so you might as well do it too. Come play with me!" she begged him, moving toward the edge of the bed where he stood. "Come have a good time. It's a party! We're supposed to have a good time. What kind of a host are you anyway, leaving me wanting you like this? I'm not looking for a relationship, Roman, I just want to rock your world once or twice." She grinned at him as he turned and stared at her.
"What do you mean she's having an open relationship?" He stared at her in disbelief.
She laughed at him. "Oh, come on! You must know. She has tons of affairs! Come on! Come have one with me." She reached her arms out to him and he stepped back away from her.
"Get your clothes on and get off this boat. Now." He spoke in a low and commanding tone, narrowing his eyes at her. Then he turned and walked out of the room and went up to the bridge, where Jonathon was sitting with a plate of food and a tumbler of whiskey.
The party seemed to have died down some, and Denise was running around talking to everyone. He bade the good Captain farewell and told him he would talk with him soon. He warned him that there may be people below deck, and Jonathon said he'd double check it when the party was over.
Roman slipped off the boat unnoticed and headed for the house, his mind whirring in consternation. Thoughts of Amanda's words and their cold meaning crept through his mind. He knew that he had no room to be angry with her; he'd slept with another woman and as a result, was now a father, but in all the years he had been married, it had only happened once. The way that Amanda spoke, it sounded as if it was a regular occurrence for Denise. If it was true, the thought made him sick. She hadn't so much as touched him in any intimate fashion in ages, yet it seemed that she was willing to sleep with other men.
He wondered at all of it. How many other men? When was she with them? How could she be regularly unfaithful to him like that and ignore their own marriage bed? He thought about how she had turned so cold to him and moved into her own bedroom, and wondered if that was when she had begun cheating on him.
He almost had himself worked into a traumatic state by the time he got home, when he realized that Amanda was probably lying just to get into bed with him. He was often the subject of feminine desire for many women, but he hadn't had an experience like the one he'd had with Amanda, not since he'd been married.
He was fairly ruffled when he went into the house. He showered and went to bed. He let his thoughts go to Emma, and just in doing that, all the worry and stress of his day washed away, and he fell into thinking about her and how their life would be together as father and daughter.