Even as she’s speaking, she’s fighting the urge to smile. She can’t believe he actually remembers her birthday. She wonders if he’s joking, but his expression seems quite serious.
“So all you want is for me to give you a present on my birthday?” she asks, “If I agree to do that, you’ll let Janetta get dressed?”
“Even by Waylen’s standards, this is an odd demand,” Leilani thinks, “He can buy himself anything he wants.”
“Yes,” Waylen nods curtly.
His birthday is November 7th, and he’s afraid that he can’t wait that long to ask her for a gift.
“What kind of gift?” Leilani asks confusedly.
“Something that you made,” he replies.
“Something I made?” Leilani doesn’t understand, “You’d like something I made?”
“Anything you make is unique,” Waylen whispers.
For a moment Leilani doesn’t know what to say. She feels a lump starting to form in her throat.
“What do you say?” he asks, “Do we have a deal?”
Beneath the seemingly indifferent tone, there’s a great deal of emotion and anticipation, but Leilani doesn’t detect it.
She nods weakly, “Okay.”
“Are you sure?” Waylen asks.
“Yes,” she says more firmly.
Waylen smiles, and the gloom and anger vanish from his face. Leilani thinks his expression looks like a melting glacier.
He places amorous kisses on her ears, neck, and face and holds her tightly. The smell of alcohol on his breath makes her frown. She can’t understand Waylen’s mood—he suddenly seems like a boy on Christmas morning.
“Why is he suddenly so happy?” she wonders, “Is it on account of the agreement or does he genuinely wanted me to make him something? I wish I could read his mind and understand why he’s alternately so happy, gloomy, and possessive. I just want to know why he’s treating me so differently all of a sudden—what are his true intentions?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Leilani thinks, shaking her head, “The priority is to save Janetta from this public humiliation, and I’ve managed to do that at least.”
Waylen holds her in his hot arms. He’s holding her as if he wants to pull her body into his, dissolving the barriers between them.
The pungent smell of alcohol disgusts Leilani. She fans her face with hands and tries to squirm away from him. The glass in Waylen’s hand wobbles and some whiskey sloshes over the side, splashing her skin and drenching her collar. Waylen kisses her once on the lips and then begins to kiss down her neck, licking the spilled whiskey from her skin. Leilani grabs his head and pulls it away from her neck.
“I’ve given you what you want,” she says, “Shouldn’t you go fulfill your promise?”
“Sure,” he says, his voice s.e.xy and deep with intoxication.
Leilani feels dizzy just listening to and smelling him. Desire flares in his bloodshot eyes and he lifts Leilani’s leg and holds it at his waist. Leilani presses her palms against his chest.
“Please, give the orders that allow Janetta to wear clothes,” she says.
Waylen calls Robert and gives his permission. Knowing she’s accomplished what she set out to do, she stops resisting him. She lets his hot breath brush her skin. She knows that nothing and no one can stop Waylen’s desire to have and possess her.
Janetta’s bedroom is on the second floor. She stops crying as soon as a maid gives her the news that she can wear a gown to the party, but her face is tear-streaked and swollen. Vanessa looks righteously angry on her sister’s behalf. She opens Janetta’s closet and selects a light yellow evening dress.
“I think that cow did it on purpose,” Vanessa says, “She knew that Waylen would fly into a rage. She should’ve told you before giving you the dress. She must have withheld information on purpose so Waylen would get mad at you. I wouldn’t trust her if I were you. Just because Waylen has changed his mind doesn’t mean she’s not trying to make things worse.”
“That bitch is deliberate,” Janetta hisses, “Waylen said I was beautiful one moment before, but then, I swear his look changed upon seeing the dress.”
“Did he?” Vanessa asks, “You know a man only compliments a lady on her appearance for one reason.”
“What’s that?” Janetta asks.
“He wants something to happen between them.”
Janetta’s eyes seem to soften and shine. She shakes her head shyly.
“If he wanted something to happen, he wouldn’t have hit me,” she says sadly.
“Maybe he’s upset that you wore something he designed without asking,” Vanessa says, “Or maybe he didn’t like that you reminded him of Leilani by wearing her clothes. I’m sure that if it weren’t for that, he’d have made fierce love to you already. After all, it’s normal for men to have a wife at home and a mistress elsewhere. And Waylen is such a wealthy man.”
Janetta nods: Vanessa’s analysis seems to have merit. She doesn’t know that Vanessa is purposely trying to fuel her hatred of Leilani. Janetta jumps to her feet in anger and clenches her hands into fists.
“I’m going to get that bitch!” she shouts.
Before she can move, a firm hand pushes her shoulder, forcing her to sit back down.
“Men don’t like rough women,” Vanessa cautions, “I know you’re angry, but if you try to take your revenge on Leilani in front of Waylen, it probably won’t end well for you.”
Janetta feels as if her sister has just poured cold water on her rage. She crosses her legs and purses her lips in frustration.
“Vanessa, I can’t let it go as nothing happened!” she protests.
“You have to,” Katherine says as she enters the room, wearing a loose evening dress and a full face of makeup, “You already proved useless at seducing Waylen. Besides, I’ve sent the photos to a reliable source; now all we have to do is sit back and wait. Be good and don’t cause any troubles.”
“Mom, what if Waylen finds out that you leaked the photos?” Janetta asks.
“Rest assured, the plan is airtight,” Katherine says, “No one will find out.”
During their intense lovemaking, Leilani loses the strength to stand. She clings to Waylen’s neck, forcing him to support her pleasure-weakened body. Suddenly, Leilani pushes Waylen as hard as she can to make him pull away, but he’s too lost in the moment to notice.
“Stop,” Leilani shouts, “Not in me!”
“It’s too late,” Waylen said with a smug smile, pulling away from her unwillingly.
Leilani rushes to the bathroom in a panic. She regrets forgetting the contraceptive pills at the hotel, and wonders if washing herself can help prevent a possible pregnancy.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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